A Hero’s Son

Based on the Balto film series created by Universal Studios

     This story takes place several months after the events of Balto III. Balto’s family has gotten used to Nome’s relaxed atmosphere in the absence of snow. However, exciting news is about to ring through the streets of Nome, Alaska, and new challenges are on the horizon.

Chapter 1: Watching The Sky

     The sun shined on the small town of Nome, Alaska. The town was largely quiet, despite the recent events surrounding the arrival of Duke and his airplane. The tensions between Duke and the local sled dog owners had largely disappeared. For Balto and his family, the relaxed mood of the town was a welcome change of pace.

     Dingo and Kodi stared at the open sky as they rested in the middle of a field. ““Have you ever wondered what’s beyond the sky?” Dingo asked Kodi “The sky is beautiful and all, but I know there has to be something beyond it…something greater…” Kodi began wondering the same thing. “I don’t know, Dingo, what do you think?” Dingo continued to stare at the sky, trying to think of a good answer. “You got me there Kodi” he answered “can’t say I have a good answer to that.” Kodi laughed “You know, you always have questions, but never any answers.” Dingo looked at Kodi. “To be fair, you can’t think of a good answer, either,” Dingo said to Kodi “besides, I always find pondering the question more interesting than just being told the answer.” Kodi nodded in agreement. “That is a good point,” Kodi said “though I don’t think Laura would accept that; you know how she is about not knowing something.” “Who said I was going to tell her that?” Dingo replied cheerfully.

     The brothers’ thought session was abruptly interrupted by a high pitched barking. The two huskies couldn’t tell where the noise was coming from at first. They then noticed the familiar shape of a Scottish terrier running towards them. “Hey, lads!” Scotty barked. Dingo and Kodi were told about the last time Scotty behaved this way: the day of their birth. “Scotty must have some very interesting news if he’s barking and running like that” said Kodi. Scotty skidded to a halt right in front of the two brothers. “Hey, Scotty” Dingo replied “got some news for us?” Scotty had a very happy look on his face. “Boy, do I, lads!” he said excitedly. “What’s going on?” Kodi asked. “It’s about your mother, me boys,” Scotty answered “you boys are going to be older brothers!”

Chapter 2: New Additions

     Kodi and Dingo followed Scotty as the latter ran through the streets of Nome. As they ran they passed by Joseph. Joseph took notice of his two brothers and Scotty. “Hey, guys, what’s going on?” he asked his brothers. Dingo stopped as Kodi and Scotty continued to run. “Mom’s pregnant” Dingo said to Joseph. Joseph’s eyes widened upon hearing this news. “Well what are we waiting for, let’s go!” Joseph barked. Dingo and Joseph managed to catch up with Kodi and Scotty right as the latter two were talking to Jenna. Jenna’s face was filled with joy. Joseph looked at his mother with excitement. “Is it true, ma, you’re pregnant?” Jenna nodded happily to her son.  Joseph smiled as he went to hug his mother. “that’s great, Mom!” Joseph said to his mother. “I can’t believe it,” Kodi said happily “I…we’re going to be older brothers.” Kodi smiled at Joseph and Dingo, and they smiled back. “Wait, does dad know yet?” Dingo asked. “Your father knows,” Jenna replied “he’s excited, too.” Kodi looked around, and said “I need to go get Laura and Saba!” Kodi then darted off to find his two sisters. “Well, he’s still fit, that’s for sure” Dingo laughed.

     “I wonder how fish breathe in here?” Laura thought to herself as she swam along Nome’s docks. Laura went back up to the surface to catch her breath. “C’mon, Red, the water’s great!” Laura’s close friend, Red, stared at the water with both fascination and doubt. “I don’t know,” Red said nervously “I don’t want to sink.” Laura smiled as she rolled her eyes at Red’s answer. “You’re not gonna sink, you big baby!” She said playfully. While Laura didn’t know it, Red did have a crush on her. The German Shepard was tempted to join his secret crush in the water, but was afraid of sinking. Laura continued to encourage Red to jump in. “C’mon, wasn’t your owner in the navy or something?” Red looked at Laura as she continued to swim around on the surface. “Michael was in the army, not the navy” said Red. “C’mon, pleeeaaase!” Laura begged as she used her puppy face on Red. “Oh, no, she’s using the face again…” Red thought to himself. He began to rethink his concerns. Laura could stay afloat in there, and Red could swim; he just never did so in the ocean. “Aw, what the heck” Red said to Laura as he dived in next to her. Laura watched as Red resurfaced with an excited look on his face. “wow, that is nice!” he said to Laura. Laura smiled. “I told you, you scaredy-cat!” she shouted playfully as she splashed water into Red’s face. “Aw, c’mon, quit that!” red shouted as he retaliated with another splash. Just as the two were starting their water war, Kodi appeared at the edge of the dock.

     Laura turned around, noticing the excited look on Kodi’s face. “Hey, Kodi, what’s up?” Laura said as she went to get back on the dock. “Mom’s pregnant!” Kodi said ecstatically. “Were gonna have younger siblings?!” Laura replied. Kodi nodded rapidly in response. A smile slowly appeared on Laura’s face as she began to dance around and hum joyfully. Red looked at the two huskies as he continued to tread water. “What’s going on?” he asked in curiosity. “I’m gonna be an older sister!” Laura said happily. Red smiled as he righted himself onto the dock. “That’s awesome!” he replied. “Dingo and Joseph know, too,” said Kodi “and I already told Saba about it.” “What did Saba say?” Laura asked. “Oh, she was happy, that’s for certain!” said Kodi. “I can’t wait to say hi to our little brothers and sisters!” Laura said as she continued to dance around and sing.

Chapter 3: First Snow

     Kodi was sound asleep in his room when Ralph suddenly ran into the room. “Kodi, Kodi, you awake?” Ralph whispered. Kodi slowly woke up, but clearly wanted to go back to bed. “What is it?” he asked with a somewhat annoyed tone. Ralph looked at the window as Kodi got up. “Look out the window!” he said to Kodi. Kodi looked and noticed that snow had formed outside. Kodi’s annoyance gave way to excitement as he realized that his team would be called on to get the mail moving. “Nice!” Kodi said, suddenly wide awake. “When’s our first run?” Ralph continued to look out the window. “I don’t know, but it’s gonna be soon, that’s for sure!” Kodi realized something else as excitement ran through his mind: Laura was joining his team this season. “Hey, isn’t your sister joining us, too?” Ralph asked in coincidence. “Yeah, she is!” Kodi said as he jumped out of his bed. “Boy is this gonna be a good season” Kodi thought to himself.

     Kodi walked outside and noticed that Laura, Kirby, and Dusty were sitting outside as well. “Hey guys” Kodi said to his teammates “does anyone know when our first orders are coming in?” Kirby looked at Kodi and noticed the latter’s excitement. “Next week, kiddo,” Kirby said to Kodi “but we’re not delivering mail, not for our first run, anyway.” Kodi was slightly confused by what Kirby said. “What do you mean?” Kodi asked. “Apparently some hotshot team from Anchorage is coming, and they want to race against us” said Kirby. Kodi suddenly became concerned. “Wait, this team isn’t trying to steal our jobs, are they?” Kodi asked in a concerned voice. “No, kid,” Kirby laughed “just a friendly competition.” Dusty stared at Kodi for a moment. “You’re not still upset at Duke, are you?” Dusty asked “he only works during the summer months; the rest of the year is ours.” Kodi looked back at Dusty. “What? No, no, of course not!” Kodi said in response “Duke’s cool.” Dusty smiled. “sorry, Kodi; wasn’t trying to accuse you of anything.” Kodi gave Dusty a reassuring look. “Don’t worry about it,” Kodi said to Dusty. Kodi looked at Laura, whose face was beaming with joy. “I don’t care if we’re just running in big circles,” Laura exclaimed happily “I just wanna put that harness on and run like the wind!” Ralph looked at Laura, and then back at Kodi. “Your sister has a lot of energy” Ralph whispered with concern. “You noticed this just now?” Kodi asked humorously.

     Meanwhile Balto was resting with Jenna at her place. “Jenna, you okay?” Balto asked. “I’m fine,” Jenna replied “why do you ask?” “you’ve been very quiet lately” Balto replied. Jenna rested her head on a pillow. “I know,” Jenna replied as she yawned “I’ve just felt exhausted recently, you know how I was right before we had the first litter.” Balto remembered back to when the first litter was born. He remembered when his children were still young pups. He couldn’t believe that they had grown up so fast. He knew that these feelings would be repeated with the second litter.

     “Balto?” Jenna said to her mate. Balto snapped out of his thoughts, and turned toward Jenna. “Sorry, Jenna,” said Balto “I was distracted for a moment there.” Jenna laughed at Balto’s response. “You know, Kodi’s going back to work, soon,” said Jenna “and Laura is joining his team, too.” Balto smiled as he thought about his son. “Kodi’s probably bouncing off the walls” Balto laughed. “If Kodi’s bouncing, I’d like to see what Laura’s doing!” Jenna laughed. The two mates looked at each other and smiled as they thought about their children. “They’re gonna be even more excited when the second litter comes” said Jenna happily “let’s hope they can control themselves then.”

     That night Kodi’s team was resting in the old barn that served as the meeting hall for the town’s canines. Kodi looked at the boiler at the end of the barn. He thought about the fact that he was going to be an older brother. Kodi had always looked up to his father. But Kodi realized that his siblings would be looking up to his father as well as him. Kodi was excited, but was somewhat nervous at the same time. “You still with us, Kodi?” Dusty asked. Kodi glanced back at his teammates. “Yeah, I was just thinking about something” he said to Dusty. “Something wrong, brother?” Laura asked. “I don’t know” Kodi replied. “I want to make our little siblings proud, you know?” Laura walked over to her brother. “I don’t want to let them down, I want to be to them what Dad is to us.” Laura didn’t like seeing her brother nervous like this. “I’m nervous, too,” said Laura “but if any one of us would make the little guys proud, it would be you.” Kodi smiled back at his sister. “Thanks” he said calmly. “Besides, the race next week should be your biggest concern right now” said Kirby. Kodi looked at his teammates, his concern giving way to confidence. “We’re gonna win, guys” said Kodi. “Heck yeah, we will!” the rest of the team cheered.  

Chapter 4: The Rivals

     Kodi and Laura watched as a sled team came into Nome. Laura didn’t recognize the sled team that was coming in.  “You think that’s our competition?” Laura asked Kodi. “Probably” Kodi replied. The sled team stopped near the Post Office. Kodi and Laura watched as the musher got off and looked around. The musher had a very rough black beard and was very tall. There was something about the man that didn’t seem right to Kodi. He couldn’t put his paw on it, but he knew something was off. As the man walked into the Post Office, Kodi and Laura walked toward the musher’s dogs. Kodi didn’t have a great feeling about the dogs hauling the sled, either. But Kodi decided that he was just being paranoid. The lead dog turned to look at Kodi, and the look on the dog’s face wasn’t friendly.

     “Hi, there,” Kodi said to the lead dog “welcome to Nome.” The lead dog growled in response. Kodi decided to introduce himself. “Hi, my name’s Kodi,” he said with a forced friendliness “this is my sister Laura.” The lead dog stopped growling and instead gave Kodi a stare of contempt. “You two don’t look so tough” the lead dog said. Kodi was baffled by this response. “I’m sorry, what did you just say?” Kodi asked. The lead dog continued to stare at Kodi. “You’re not gonna win…” the dog said ominously. Kodi’s confusion turned into frustration. “I just wanted to welcome you to-.” Kodi was suddenly interrupted when the musher forcefully pushed him aside to release his sled team from their harnesses. Kodi was becoming more frustrated by the situation. Laura became concerned that Kodi was going to become furious. “Kodi, it’s not worth the trouble” said Laura, her face also showing a degree of frustration. “I know, Laura,” Kodi said calmly “I know.” Kodi and Laura now knew for certain that this team was the rival group that their team was going to race against.

     Just as Kodi turned around to go home, a paw tapped him on his shoulder. Kodi looked around and noticed that it was another one of the dogs on the rival team. The dog didn’t have a mean look on her face. In fact, something about her face calmed Kodi down significantly. “I’m sorry about our leader,” the dog said “he doesn’t think much of his competitors.” Kodi’s frustration faded away as he turned to look at the dog. “My name’s Emily,” said the dog “what’s yours?” Kodi was glad that someone on the rival team was nice. “My name’s Kodi” he said to Emily. Kodi turned to his sister. “This is my sister and teammate, Laura.”  Emily smiled at Kodi and Laura. “So are you the ones we’ll be competing against?” Emily asked. “I guess so” said Kodi. “Well, I wish you guys good luck” Emily sad kindly. “Thanks” Kodi responded. Kodi watched as Emily walked away. Kodi had an unusual feeling about her. But it wasn’t a bad feeling. Something about Emily actually made him happy. “You okay, Kodi?” Laura asked. Kodi took one more glance at Emily before he turned to his sister. “Yeah…I guess.” He said quietly. Laura gave Kodi a reassuring nudge on his shoulder. “Come on; let’s go hang out with our team. I think she’s the only friendly face among our competition.” Kodi looked to the ground and smiled. “Yeah,” he said to Laura “you’re probably right.”

Chapter 5: A Friendly Face

     Kodi rested inside the old barn, thinking about Emily. For some reason, Kodi had an inexplicable fascination with Emily. She was all he could think about. The way she moved, the kind expression on her face, the twinkle in her eyes; it made Kodi feel very calm and relaxed. He continued to ponder on the day’s events.

     “Hey, Kodi” a voice called from the door leading into the barn. Kodi looked behind him to see Saba at the doorway. Saba walked toward her brother with a curious look on her face. “Laura said you were in here,” said Saba “You alright, brother?” Saba had heard that Kodi’s attempt at greeting the rival sled team didn’t go quite to plan, and felt that she should talk to Kodi. “I heard about what happened, don’t let that bother you” Saba said in a reassuring voice. “Thanks, sis,” said Kodi “but I’m fine. I’m not worried about our competition, we’ll win.” Saba smiled, glad that Kodi had cooled down. “Why are you in here by yourself?” Saba asked, aware that something was on Kodi’s mind. Kodi continued to stare aimlessly in thought. “I just needed some time to think” said Kodi. “What about?” Saba asked. Kodi turned around to look at his sister. “There was this girl on their team, Emily, and she seemed really nice,” Kodi began “and she didn’t even say anything at first; I just calmed down right then and there for some reason.” Saba let out a little laugh, recognizing the feeling that Kodi was describing. “You’re in love” Saba said bluntly but kindly.

     Kodi gave Saba a confused look. “Wait, what?” he said in confusion. “You have a crush on Emily, Kodi,” said Saba. Kodi gave Saba an odd look, as if his sister had lost it. “What, no, no! Emily just seemed nice, that’s all!” Kodi said insistently. “Kodi, it’s perfectly fine to have a crush on someone,” said Saba “why do you think Dad loves Mom so much?” “That’s different, though. It’s not the same thing at all!” Kodi said as he began to blush. Saba laughed playfully as she watch her brother blush in embarrassment. “Kodi, don’t be embarrassed” said Saba “Everyone has this feeling at some point in their life.” Kodi stared at Saba for several moments. “Okay, fine, I like Emily, happy Saba?” Kodi admitted in embarrassment. “But I can’t, you know, be her mate or something; she’s on the other team.” Saba then remembered back to the story her father had told her when she was young: How he was an outcast before the serum run; how he loved Jenna, even though her owners wouldn’t have it; how, even with all that, everything worked out in the long run. “Mom and Dad loved each other, even before Dad saved the town” Saba said, continuing her reassuring tone. “they couldn’t be together at that point, but look at them now.” Saba gave Kodi a friendly nudge on the shoulder. “If Dad could love Mom through all those obstacles, then you liking Emily is definitely possible.” Kodi smiled at his sister. Saba was always good at giving advice, even if she sometimes made people feel embarrassed in the process. Kodi then decided that Saba was right. “Okay, sis, I’ll take your advice” said Kodi “I’m gonna go see Emily right now.” Kodi then got up and left as Saba looked at her brother and smiled.

     When Kodi reached the cabin that the visiting team was staying in, he noticed that Emily wasn’t in there. “Where could she be?” Kodi thought to himself. Suddenly a voice behind him shouted “boo!” Kodi jumped around, fearing that it was one of Emily’ teammates. He turned around to see that the voice, thankfully, belonged to Emily. “Uh, hi” Kodi said in embarrassment. Emily laughed happily as Kodi tried to regain his composure. “Sorry, I didn’t want to scare you,” said Emily “but it was too hard to resist.” Kodi managed to regain his composure as he looked to see Emily smiling at him. “Wow, she’s beautiful” Kodi thought. Her blue eyes; her white and black fur; the sincere, gentle expression on her face; her kind and smooth voice; even the way her tail moved back and forth in a slow yet calming manner: everything about her was beautiful to Kodi. “I also want to apologize about what happened today,” said Emily “The dog on our team you talked to…Hunter…he isn’t really a good example of humility.” Kodi smiled at Emily’s sincerity. “It’s fine,” he said to Emily “at least you were nice to me.” Emily smiled back at Kodi. “Thank my parents for that” said Emily. Kodi then realized what his original purpose was of coming to see Emily. “I just wanted to stop by to see if you wanted to, um, hang out for a, uh, a bit” Kodi said nervously “She’s gonna turn me down, I know she is” Kodi thought to himself. “That would be nice” Emily said happily. “Well, that’s okay, maybe some…wait what?” Kodi said in disbelief. “The race isn’t for several days,” said Emily “and besides, you seem really nice.” Kodi blushed at Emily’s compliment. “Well, follow me” said Kodi as he tried to hide is nervousness.

     Kodi lead Emily to the beach where his Dad lived. Kodi came to Nome’s coastline often, whether it was to hang out with his friends and relatives, to see Duke’s bush-plane fly, or just to watch the view. He felt that Emily might enjoy the scenery, and the look on her face confirmed his feelings. “Wow, this is a beautiful view” Emily said in wonder. “I come here a lot. I used to play with my dad all the time here when I was a puppy” Kodi said to Emily. “Your father…he’s the one who saved Nome, right?” Emily asked. Kodi was surprised that Emily knew this. “Yeah, but how do you know that?” Kodi asked. “I heard about it before my team left to come here,” Emily responded “is he gonna be in the race tomorrow?” Kodi shook his head. “No, he doesn’t really race anymore” Kodi replied.

     Emily then looked to the boat where Kodi’s father lived. “What’s in there?” Emily asked. “My dad, for one thing” Kodi said in a humorous tone. “Your dad lives in that boat?” Emily asked “but isn’t he a hero or something?” “Well, he’s welcome anywhere in town” Kodi said to Emily “, he just prefers to stay in there.” Emily was curious to see the hero of Nome in person. “Is he there right now?” she asked. Kodi shook his head calmly. “He’s actually staying at my mom’s place right now” he answered. “How come?” Emily asked. “My mom’s pregnant,” said Kodi “my dad wants to take care of her, make sure she’s comfortable, you know.” “Aw, that’s so sweet” said Emily. “, yeah we...my siblings and I…we really look up to him,” Kodi continued “which is why I want to set a good example for the second litter.” “If it helps, I think you’ll be a great older brother” said Emily. Kodi smiled at Emily, but was slightly confused by what she said. “You’ve only known me for a few hours,” he said to Emily “how can you be sure?” “You have this sincerity, this nobility to the way you speak, the way you move” Emily said to Kodi. Kodi then began to wonder of Emily had feelings for him as well; her compliments about him sounded a lot like his feelings about her. “That, and your sister Laura told me” Emily said as she laughed playfully. Kodi responded to Emily’s laughter with his own. “So you talked to my sister?” Kodi asked. “I wanted to apologize to you, but I saw your sister first,” Emily explained “so I apologized to her first. I was actually still trying to find you when you came by to find me.” “I appreciate that,” said Kodi “but you didn’t have to do that.” Emily blushed. “I felt that I should do so anyway” said Emily “and your sister was nice about it, too.” “Yeah, Laura’s nice” said Kodi “even if she is hard to calm down.” Emily laughed at Kodi’s thoughts about Laura. Emily then looked at the sun as it began to set.

     “Well, I need to get back before Hunter gets angry” Laura said in a disappointed tone. Kodi became worried about Emily having to deal with that dog all by herself. “I can come with you, if you want” Kodi offered. “If anything, Hunter would be even more upset,” said Emily “but I appreciate it.” “Hey, you want to hang out some more tomorrow?” Kodi asked as Emily left. “Sure thing,” said Emily “sounds like a plan!” Kodi smiled. “Night Emily” said Kodi. “Night Kodi” said Emily.

Chapter 6: Around Nome

     The next day Kodi gave Emily a tour around Nome. Kodi pointed out the doctor’s office where Balto had delivered the medicine several years before. “That’s where my dad delivered the medicine” Kodi replied proudly. “That’s so cool” Emily replied. Kodi then looked over to the post office. “That’s where we deliver the mail,” Kodi began “we sled dogs have the winter months, but Duke has the summer.” “Duke?” Emily asked. “He’s a pilot of an airplane,” Kodi replied “we had a competition with him several months back, but we’re on good terms now. Duke decided that the winter months were too risky to fly, and our owners understood that they couldn’t do much during the summer without snow around.” “Why can’t Duke fly during the winter?” Emily asked. “He crashed because his airplane’s engine froze,” said Kodi “my dad went out to save him.” “That’s very noble of your father,” Emily replied “but you didn’ follow him?” Kodi frowned slightly. “I was upset at Duke for trying to steal our jobs, and I didn’t follow my dad at first,” Kodi said in a guilty tone “but I decided that my dad was right; we had to save Duke. So I went out with my team to find my dad.” Kodi shook his head. “I’m still a bit ashamed at myself for not following my dad in the first place.” Emily smiled. “But you followed him in the end,” she replied “besides, we all make decisions like that at some point.” “But my dad and Duke almost died,” said Kodi “I still wonder what would have happened if I didn’t go.” Emily then came to a realization. “Is that why you’re so worried about being an older brother,” Emily asked “because of what happened with Duke?” “Now that I think of it, that’s exactly it” said Kodi. “Kodi, you made a mistake” Emily began “but you managed to fix it. Besides, I’m sure your dad was proud of you in the long run.” Kodi nodded. “He was, and still is,” said Kodi “but I still feel like I made a fool of myself.” Emily smiled. “Don’t get yourself down, Kodi,” said Emily “you disagree with your decision and made amends. In the end, that’s what matters.” Kodi smiled. “You sure have a way of making people feel better about themselves” Kodi replied happily. “That’s nice of you to say” Emily replied in a charming tone.

     The two dogs then stopped outside of Jenna’s home. “This is where my mom lives…and right now, my dad, too,” said Kodi “You wanna take a look inside?” “I don’t want to disturb your parents” Emily replied. “It’s okay, we’ll only stay for a few minutes” Kodi said reassuringly. “If you say so” Emily replied. The two dogs then walked into the living room of the house, where Jenna and Balto were resting. “Mom, Dad?” said Kodi. “Kodiak, what are you doing here?” Jenna asked, glad to see her son. “Um, I just wanted to introduce my friend, Emily” Kodi replied as he moved his head in Emily’s direction. “Hi, I’m Emily” she replied in a shy but respectful tone. “I’m Jenna, Kodi’s mom, and this is his father, Balto” Jenna replied as she looked at Balto. “I heard about what you did, Mr. Balto,” Emily replied “That was a great thing you did.” Balto smiled and nodded. “Thank you,” Balto replied “I just wanted to help Nome, that’s all.” “It’s still incredible, Mr. Balto” Emily replied back. “Please, just call me Balto” he replied in a friendly tone. “Okay…Balto” Emily replied shyly. Emily turned to Jenna. “I don’t want to be disrespectful, but Kodi said you were pregnant, is that true?” Emily asked nervously. Jenna nodded and smiled. “Yes, it is,” Jenna replied “and don’t worry, you’re not being disrespectful at all.” Emily smiled as her nervousness began to fade away. “Thank you, um, do you prefer Mrs. Jenna or just Jenna?” Emily asked. “You can just call me Jenna” she said as she let out a friendly laugh. “Okay, I will remember that” Emily replied. “You’re on the visiting team from Anchorage?” Balto asked. “How do you know?” Emily asked as her nervousness suddenly came back. “Your collar” Balto replied. Emily then looked down and realized that her collar said “Anchorage” on it. “It’s okay,” Balto replied “it’s not a problem with us. Besides, the competition is on friendly terms, right?” Emily thought about what she felt, and then realized that her musher and Hunter did not share the same friendly sentiments she had. “Yes, sir” Emily replied. “Well, we better get going,” said Kodi “I wanted to introduce Emily to my team.” “Ok, it was nice to meet you, Emily” said Jenna. “It was nice to meet you guys, too” Emily replied. As Kodi and Emily left, Jenna and Balto looked at each other. “You saw the look on Kodi’s face, too?” Balto asked his mate. “I did,” Jenna replied “our boy has a crush.”

Chapter 7: Meeting the Team

     “This is where my owner and my team lives” Kodi said as he pointed out a house with a shed next to it. “Let’s go inside so I can introduce you to my teammates” said Kodi. Emily became nervous. “Your team is okay with talking with an opponent?” Emily asked. “It’s a friendly competiton,” said Kodi “my team won’t bite.” “Alright then” said Emily. The two dogs then walked into the shed and saw the rest of Kodi’s team resting.

     “Hey guys” said Kodi. “Hey, kid, where have you been?” Kirby asked. “I was just showing Emily around town,” said Kodi “uh, guys, this is Emily. Emily, my team, and you already know Laura.” Emily smiled nervously “please don’t let them see the Anchorage tag on my collar” she thought to herself. “So, you’re one of the Anchorage dogs, huh?” Dusty asked. “Oh no, they saw it” Emily thought to herself. “Um, yes” Emily said quietly. “You ready for the race?” Dusty asked. Emily was surprised by Dusty’s friendly attitude. “I um…yes” Emily replied quietly. “Good luck, you’re gonna need it” said Kirby. Laura then gave Kirby a disapproving look and slapped her paw on his head. “Ow! What did I say?” Kirby shouted. Emily laughed. “Does this happen often?” Emily asked Kodi quietly. “Yeah, especially to Kirby over there” Kodi said as he pointed at Kirby. “I wish you guys good luck as well” Emily said in response to Kirby. “Oh, um, thank you” said Kirby as he stared back at Laura. “So you’ve been a sled dog for a while, or is this your first run?” Dusty asked. “I’ve been a sled dog for more than a year, now” Emily replied. “You seem calm for someone who’s talking to her competition” Ralph asked. “Baby!” Dusty said to Ralph. “I’m just sayin’” said Ralph. “Actually, I’m feeling a bit nervous around you guys,” Emily said nervously “I know I’m from the other team, but I wanted to meet you guys and say hello anyway.” “That’s really nice of you” said Laura. “Still gonna win the race” Kirby whispered to himself. Laura overhead Kirby and proceeded to slap him on the head a second time. “Ow! What did I do this time?” said Kirby as the rest of the team laughed.

     Kodi’s owner and musher John then entered the room. “Hey guys, how you doing?” John asked enthusiastically as he went over to pet his dogs. He then looked over and noticed Emily next to Kodi. “Hi there!” John said in a friendly tone. He then looked at the Anchorage tag on Emily’s collar, and then noticed her name stamped on the other side. “You’re from the visiting team, huh, Emily?” he asked happily. Emily began to cringe as John said this. “It’s okay, girl, don’t be scared” said John. He then patted Emily on the head. Emily smiled and let out a friendly bark. Kodi smiled at Emily’s response. “You seem to have found a friend in Kodi here, huh?” John asked. Kodi blushed as the rest of the team began to laugh quietly. “Any dog is welcome to my place, just remember to wipe off your feet” John laughed. “Well, I gotta go take care of some stuff, you guys behave.” The team nodded as John walked back into the house. “I actually should go, too” said Emily. “Okay, see you later?” Kodi asked. “Definitely” Emily said happily. As Emily walked away, Kirby began to sing. “Kodi and Emily sitting in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g, ow!” Kirby sang has he got hit in the head once more by Laura. “Stop doing that!” Kirby shouted.

Chapter 8: Separation

     As Emily entered the cabin where her team was staying, she was suddenly stopped by a large figure. “Where have you been?” the figure asked. “I’ve just been around town, Hunter” said Emily as she tried to hide the fact that she had been with Kodi all day. Hunter gave Emily an ominous stare. “You’ve been hanging around with that kid from the other team, haven’t you?” Hunter asked angrily. Emily tried not to look at Hunter directly. “Answer me!” Hunter growled. “Fine, I was, but I just wanted to see the town, and Kodi offered me a tour” Emily said, hiding her interest in Kodi. “Whatever,” Hunter growled “you’re not hanging out with him tomorrow, understand?” Emily cringed at this thought; she had made plans with Kodi. What was she supposed to do? “Understand?!” Hunter growled. Emily had no choice; she liked Kodi a lot. But she didn’t want Hunter to go after Kodi, either. “Fine” Emily replied bluntly. “Good” Hunter said as he left to go into the other room. Emily looked at the ground, and thought about Kodi. Kodi had been one of the first dogs to treat her so nicely in a long time. For years, she had been talked down to and abused. But Kodi had been so nice to her…the last dogs to treat her so nicely were her parents. Emily then went to sleep, with Kodi deep in her thoughts.

     While Emily didn’t admit to it, she actually really did like Kodi, not to mention his family and friends. They had all been so nice to her, something she hadn’t received in a long time. Something about Kodi made Emily feel particularly happy. She didn’t know what it was: his looks, his personality, the way he moved, or maybe even all of them combined. What she didn’t know was that Kodi felt the same way.

     As Emily woke up the next morning, she continued to think about Kodi. “This isn’t fair” Emily thought to herself. “Kodi, why can’t I be with you?” she asked herself. She then thought back to when she was first adopted and taken away from her parents. She hadn’t seen them in years, and she knew she probably wouldn’t see them again. And just when she finally met someone who treated her nicely, she got yanked away again.

     Suddenly, Emily heard a voice coming from the other room. She recognized the voice as that of her owner, Carlson. She noticed that he was placing various tools into a bag. “I’m not going to lose to a bunch of mail delivery mutts,” Carlson thought aloud “if I have to stop them personally, I will.” Emily then realized that Carlson was trying to sabotage the race in his favor. She had to tell Kodi, even if Hunter said not to talk to him. As Emily rushed to the door, she was stopped by Hunter. “Where are you going?” Hunter asked suspiciously. “I, um, just wanted to get some fresh air…” Emily said nervously. “No, you were gonna see that Kodi mutt again!” Hunter said accusingly. Emily looked at the floor. She had always been afraid of Hunter, but now she was downright terrified of him. “I’m watching you…” Hunter growled. Emily then walked away from the door and back into the cabin. “How am I going to tell Kodi?” she thought to herself.

     Kodi remembered that Emily wanted to hang out today, and so he walked toward her place. Laura soon joined him, and they began to chat about Emily. “So you guys are close…” Laura asked. “Hey, Emily’s really nice,” said Kodi. Laura laughed. “Well, someone’s got a crush on someone…” Laura said in a playful tone. Kodi rolled his eyes as Laura continued to laugh. “Emily mentioned that she talked to you” said Kodi. “Yeah, she did,” said Laura in confirmation “she seems nice, a perfect fit for you.” Kodi gave Laura an annoyed look. “Quit that!” said Kodi. Kodi then saw Laura, and tried to say hi to her. Kodi was stopped abruptly by Hunter. “You want something, mutt?” Hunter asked insultingly. Kodi gave Hunter an angry look. “What do you want?” Kodi asked. “You ain’t gonna talk to Emily, today, that’s what!” Hunter growled. “That doesn’t even make any sense” said Laura. Kodi then began to go into an aggressive stance against Hunter. Then he noticed that Emily was staring at him and shaking her head. Kodi nodded in agreement, understanding what she was trying to say. Kodi backed down and walked away. As he left, he looked back and saw that Emily was crying. Kodi couldn’t see Emily like that. He turned his head away, and began to cry as well.

    That night, Kodi hung out with his team. Everyone else was excited for the race tomorrow. But Kodi could only think about Emily. “Hey, kid, why you being so quiet?” Kirby asked. “I…uh…I’m just a bit nervous” Kodi replied. “What, this coming from the guy who said that we’re gonna win the race?” Kirby asked sarcastically. Laura glared at Kirby. “What?” Kirby asked in confusion. “He’s had a rough day” Laura said defensively “leave Kodi alone.” Kirby didn’t answer, and simply walked back to where the rest of the team was chatting. As Kodi continued to think about Emily, he looked behind him and noticed Emily standing at the door into his home. He walked toward her as his team continued to chat about the race. “Hey, Kodi” said Emily. “Hey,” said Kodi in a concerned voice “you okay?” Emily pointed her head toward the outside. Kodi followed Emily behind a pile of wood outside. Kodi was somewhat baffled. “What’s going on?” Kodi asked. “Kodi, listen to me,” Emily said in a serious voice “my master – Carlson – he’s going to sabotage the race tomorrow.” Kodi was stunned by this. “Wait, why would he do that?” Kodi asked. “He doesn’t want to lose the race tomorrow,” Emily continued “he wants your team to lose.” Kodi’s face revealed significant concern. “What should we do?” he asked. Emily thought about the issue for a second. An idea the popped into her head “Is there another sled, one you guys aren’t using?” Emily asked. “Huh?” Kodi asked. “I think Carlson is going to sabotage your sled,” Emily replied “I have an idea to prevent that.”

Chapter 9: Decoy

     As Kodi walked out of the shed and back to his house, Carlson quietly made his way to the shed. As he entered the shed, he saw a sled with “Nome, Alaska” written on the side. Carlson approached the sled as he pulled out a saw. He then proceeded to make a series of cuts alongside the sled’s supports, and then used a knife to weaken the strength of the harnesses. “That should be enough to stop them” Carlson thought to himself. He then left the shed and back to his cabin.

     Kodi and Emily left their hiding spot behind several barrels, and walked back into the shed. “Did it work?” asked Emily. Kodi looked at the sled that Carlson sabotaged, then looked at the blanket that was hiding the sled that Kodi’s team was actually going to use. Kodi then proceeded to remove the blanket and placed it back on the sled Carlson sabotaged. “It worked,” said Kodi as he smiled “Carlson sabotaged our old sled, and our current one is just fine.” Emily smiled back. “You better get back before Hunter become suspicious” said Kodi. “You’re right, I’ll see you tomorrow” said Emily.

Chapter 10: The Race

     Most of the people in town came out to watch the race. As Kodi and his team lined up to the starting line, the people and dogs of the town cheered. Kodi smiled to the rest of his team. Kirby and Laura smiled back, nodding their heads enthusiastically. The people continued to cheer, and the dogs continued to howl and bark with enthusiasm. Kodi may have been nervous before, but he was more than ready for the race now.

     Kodi and Laura then noticed that their entire family had come to watch. “Go get ‘em son!” Balto and Jenna shouted from the sidelines. Kodi and Laura’s siblings howled in support. Laura noticed Red, who smiled at her. Laura smiled back and nodded. “You can do this, Laura!” Red cheered. Kodi smiled at his parents, who smiled back. “Let’s do this, guys!” Kodi shouted to his teammates.

     The rival team was already waiting at the starting line. Kodi saw Emily in the reigns, and smiled at her. Emily looked back and smiled as well. Kodi then stared at Hunter. “I’m gonna beat him” Kodi thought to himself. As Kodi’s team reached the start line, the announcer pulled out a gun to signal the start of the race.

     “On your mark!”

     “Get set!”

     “Go!”

     The announcer then fired his revolver into the air, and there was a loud “BANG”.

     “Let’s go, boys!” Kirby screamed to his teammates as they started to run. The two teams started up slowly, and then within seconds they were off. Kodi watched as his team pulled ahead of Hunter’s team almost immediately. “Ha, ha, Look at us go!” Dusty screamed. Laura stuck her tongue out at Hunter and laughed. “Stay focused, guys!” Kodi shouted excitedly. Laura smiled as she began to pick up pace, and watched as Hunter’s team got smaller and smaller. “We got this!” Ralph shouted.

     Suddenly Hunter’s team began to catch up to Kodi’s team. “Uh, they’re not getting smaller anymore!” Ralph exclaimed. Kodi then looked Ralph. “Don’t worry about them! Just keep running!” Kodi’s team sped up even more until the two sled teams were moving at the same speed. “We just need to keep our pace! Don’t let up!” Kodi shouted. Soon the teams passed the first checkpoint, with Kodi’s team still in front.

     The teams gradually entered the forested area just outside of Nome. “Alright, guys, keep on your toes!” Kirby screamed. The team knew that the forest was especially hard to navigate through. John then gave them the command to stay close together. “You heard the man, don’t get too far apart!” Kirby shouted. Kodi then noticed that there was a tree in the middle of the trail. “Tree!” Kodi shouted. Fortunately, John noticed the tree as well, and gave the team the command to turn. Kodi’s team evaded the tree with ease. “Nice!” Laura shouted enthusiastically. Dusty looked behind her and noticed that Hunter’s team was nowhere in sight. “Too bad for those guys!” Dusty cheered. Suddenly Hunter’s team came out of the tree line and ended up next to Kodi’s team. “You had to open your mouth!” Kirby shouted. “I didn’t ask you!” Dusty shouted back. “Focus!” Kodi shouted. Laura looked at the rest of the team. “You heard my brother!” she shouted. By this time Laura had really gotten into the race, and had become more or less focused and quiet. The forest slowly thinned out, and the two teams passed the second checkpoint neck and neck.

     The last stretch of the race was mostly open space except for a series of rocky outcroppings. “We’re reaching the last checkpoint before the finish line, watch for the rocks!” Kirby shouted. “Got it!” the rest of the team said in unison. Hunter’s team was still right next to them. “We gotta get ahead of them!” Laura shouted. “We know how to deal with the rocks,” Kirby shouted “they don’t. As long as we avoid the rocks, we’ll be fine!” As the two teams gradually made it into the field of outcroppings, they began to dodge the many rocks that littered the path. Suddenly Kodi noticed that Laura was about to run into a rock. “Laura!” Kodi screamed. The moment Kodi screamed the warning Laura jumped over the rock and bounded off. “Got it” Laura shouted calmly. Kodi breathed a sigh of relief.

     Carlson realized that the sled being used by Kodi’s team wasn’t broken. He thought about what to do as an alternate means of ensuring his victory. He then noticed two of the larger outcroppings, both of which were covered with jagged edges. Carlson then looked at Kodi’s team, and realized he could nudge Kodi’s team into hitting one of the rocks. “That should do it” Carlson thought to himself.

     As Kodi’s team concentrated on getting through the field safely, they suddenly felt a heavy bump hit from the side. Kodi looked to Hunter’s team and realized that the latter was trying to nudge Kodi and his team into striking one of the large, jagged boulders ahead. “Kirby!” Kodi shouted. “I know, I know!” Kirby shouted back. Kodi’s team did everything to get out of the way, but to no avail. Carlson continued to nudge Kodi’s team off the path and into the fast-approaching rocks.

     Emily looked on as Kodi and his team struggled in vain to get away from Carlson. Emily tried to think of a solution. She then realized that there was only one thing she could do, even though she might get injured. Without hesitation, she pretended to trip, sending the rest of her team crashing.

     Kodi’s face dropped as he saw Emily trip and halt the rest of her team. He looked back at Emily’s team as his team rushed forward. “Kodi!” Laura shouted, knowing that Kodi was concerned. Just then, Emily slowly got back up as the rest of her team struggled to untangle themselves from a mess of harnesses and sled parts. Emily smiled and nodded to Kodi. Kodi then realized that Emily had stopped her team to save his. Kodi nodded back and looked forward as his team hit the third checkpoint. For a brief moment, Emily sighed in relief. She then looked at Carlson and Hunter, and realized that they had noticed her stunt. Emily’s ears dropped, knowing that this wasn’t going to end well for her. “At least Kodi’s okay…” Emily thought to herself.

Chapter 11: Victory At A Cost

     As Kodi’s team rushed into Nome, the spectators cheered his team on. With Carlson no longer trying to take them down, Kodi and his team passed the finish line and came to a graceful stop. The spectators ran to Kodi and his team to congratulate them. Kodi looked to his teammates with a positive look on his face, and they smiled back, with victory evident in their faces. Kodi’s family then came over to congratulate him and his sister. Kodi then went to his parents and nuzzled them both. As his family continued to cheer for him, Kodi became worried about Emily. He knew Emily was fine, but then realized that Carlson and Hunter would change that quickly.

     That night, Kodi’s team celebrated their victory. “Good job, guys” Kirby cheered. The rest of the team howled in unison in celebration. But Kodi didn’t join in. Laura noticed that Kodi’s face was filled with dread rather than cheer. Laura walked over and gave Kodi a reassuring look. “You’re worried about Emily, aren’t you?” Laura asked with a concerned voice. Kodi nodded silently. “It’s okay, I’ll cover for you” said Laura. Kodi gave a half-smile to Laura. “Thanks, sis” Kodi said as he left to find Emily. Kodi knew that Emily survived the crash, and he saw her come in after the race along with the rest of her team. But even then, Kodi knew that Hunter and Carlson would probably punish Emily; a prospect that made Kodi more than a bit concerned.

     As he approached Carlson’s cabin, Kodi slowly walked toward the edge of the doorway and peeked into the building. Kodi could hear Carlson, and he didn’t sound happy. Kodi looked into the Cabin, and saw that Emily was huddled into a Corner, wounds clearly visible on her face and chest. He then noticed that Hunter had small blood stains on his paws, and saw that Carlson was loading a shotgun. Kodi was confused for only a second when he realized what Carlson was about to do to Emily. “Oh, no,” Kodi thought to himself “I have to stop him.”

Chapter 12: Sacrifice

     “You stupid mutt!” Carlson screamed at Emily. “You cost us the race! You worthless dog!” Carlson continued to shout. Emily looked at her owner as she shook in pain. Hunter had already scratched and bit her, and she knew that her punishment was far from over. Hunter was still glaring angrily at Emily, his eyes filled with rage. Tears began to fall from her face as Carlson continued to insult her. She then opened her eyes, and froze in fear as Carlson slowly raised his shotgun. “Well, if you’re so useless,” Carlson said calmly but ominously “then I have no reason to deal with you further.”

     Just as Carlson opened fire, Kodi rushed in and jumped in front of Carlson. Kodi yelped in pain as he hit the floor and skidded to a halt. Emily’s face dropped as she looked at Kodi, who was now in a crumpled heap and was bleeding profusely from his shoulder. “Kodi…” Emily thought in horror. Suddenly Kodi slowly tried to regain his footing, only to fall back to the floor. “Looks like I get to get rid of two problems today” said Carlson as he prepared to finish Kodi off. Emily then rushed to Kodi’s side and began to growl at Carlson. “If you’re going to kill Kodi, you have to kill me first” Emily thought to herself, aware that her actions were suicidal.

     As Carlson began to fire a second shot, Michael, Red’s owner and Sheriff of Nome, rushed in along with John and tackled Carlson. Red came in moments later. As Carlson tried to get up, Michael drew out a pistol, and commanded Red to keep Carlson from getting up and escaping. Knowing that the situation was not going in his favor, Hunter ran away. Red tried to give chase. “Don’t worry about him boy!” Michael reassured Red. “You’re under arrest, Carlson!” Michael screamed with force. Michael ordered his dog to pin Carlson down as he and John rushed to Kodi and Emily. “Oh god…” Michael thought to himself as he observed Kodi’s injuries. “Kodi!” John shouted. At this point, Kodi was barely conscious, and his blood was forming small puddles around his leg and chest. John held Kodi’s head in his lap in an effort to comfort the wounded dog. “It’s gonna be okay, boy” he said as he slowly patted Kodi on the head. Emily looked on, her heart filled with guilt. “What have I done?” Emily thought to herself.

     Soon the local doctors came in to put Kodi on a stretcher and whisk him away to heal his wounds. Balto and Jenna were walking along the streets when they noticed the doctors passing by. They both recognized the body being carried in the Stretcher. “Kodi!” Jenna barked in horror. Both of Kodi’s parents rushed to his side and followed him and the doctors into the local clinic. “My baby!” Jenna shouted as tears flowed down from her face. Balto began crying as well as he nuzzled Jenna in an effort calm her down. Meanwhile, Emily stared from the hallway. “I’m sorry, Kodi,” she thought to herself “I never meant for this to happen...”

Chapter 13: Guilt

     The next day, the doctors were still tending to Kodi’s wounds. Kodi was still unconscious, and the only sign that he was still alive was the occasional movement of his ears. Jenna and Balto had been rushed out the night before so that the doctors could start operating on him. Kodi’s parents were now back in the room, hoping desperately that their son was okay. Jenna turned her head away from Kodi. “I can’t see him like this…” she quietly whispered to Balto. Balto put his head over Jenna’s as he looked at his son, who was now covered in bandages. Balto managed to save Nome’s children from an epidemic, and managed to rescue Duke from the harsh wilderness of Alaska. But now his own son was hurt, and there was nothing he could do about it. “My own son, and I can’t even help him…” Balto thought to himself.

     Emily slowly walked into the doctor’s office to visit Kodi. When Carlson was arrested, Hunter had escaped, and the rest of her team was being held in a kennel until they could be taken back to Anchorage. But Emily had managed to sneak out of the kennel to see Kodi. As Emily slowly approached the room where Kodi was being healed, she peeked into the room, and saw Kodi. “No…” she thought to herself as she witnessed the shape Kodi was in. She then noticed that Kodi’s parents were in the room. She realized that they probably wouldn’t want her to be around, and she turned away.

     Just then, Balto saw Emily from where he was standing. “Who’s there?” Balto said gently. Emily froze in fear, knowing that Kodi’s friends and relatives would probably scream at anyone who was on Carlson’s team. She realized that she couldn’t just walk away. She cared about Kodi, and she was more than willing to explain herself to Kodi’s family. She slowly walked in, her head low to the ground. “Hey, Emily” said Balto. Emily looked to the ground, afraid of looking Balto in the eye. Balto realized that Emily was afraid of him at this point. Balto then approached Emily in a friendly manner. “It’s okay,” Balto said in a calm tone. Tears began to form from her eyes. “I…I’m so sorry” said Emily as she struggled to hold back her tears. “Kodi…your son was so nice to me” Emily said as she began to explain herself. “He’s the first dog to treat me like that in a long time. My teammates…my owner, they abused me for most of my life. Then your son came along…and I’d never felt so at ease.” Emily tried to continue, but she began to cry so hard, from fearing that Balto was going to bark at her in anger, and from the fact that Kodi was so badly injured. “Please forgive me, I never meant for this to happen, I’m so sorry!” Emily wailed in a terrified and depressed tone. Balto walked over to Emily and lifted her face back up with his paw. Emily was shocked to see that Balto was showing a friendly expression on his face. “I’m not going to hurt you,” Balto said calmly “calm down and tell me what happened.” Emily regained her composure, but tears were still slowly dripping from her face. “My owner, Carlson…he tr-tried to knock Kodi and his team off the trail…,” Emily said as she struggled to talk while still crying “I…I stopped Carlson by falling over.” Emily wiped the tears from her eyes as she continued to explain what happened. “Carlson noticed, and he ordered his lead dog…hunter…t-to hurt me.” Balto and Jenna’s faces became filled with sympathy and concern as they heard her explain herself. “Then, C-Carlson tried to kill me with a gun…but Kodi jumped i-in front o-of him and protected me from the gunshot” Emily said as more tears formed in her eyes. “I…your son saved me…he sacrificed himself…for me” said Emily. “I didn’t want this to happen,” said Emily “Kodi was so nice…but all I’ve done is get him killed…” Jenna, who had been silent for most of the conversation, went over and put her head on Emily’s. “Don’t cry, sweety,” said Jenna “this isn’t your fault by any means.” As Jenna said that, Emily began to think about her mom: the last dog to refer to her as “sweety.”

     Emily fell to her feet and began to cry uncontrollably. “You don’t have to treat me so nicely,” she cried “I don’t deserve it!” Balto and Jenna both nuzzled Emily on the head. “Don’t cry,” Balto said in a comforting voice “you couldn’t have known that this would happen.” Emily struggled to regain her composure. “I love your son so much…” she whispered through her tears. Emily slowly got back up and finally managed to get her tears under control, at least for the moment. “He’s so handsome and nice and gentle,” said Emily “I…I want to be with Kodi…I don’t want to go back to Anchorage…” as Emily finished talking, she ran out of the building. “Poor girl…,” said Jenna “being treated like that for so long…” Balto went over to comfort Jenna, who was now sad for Emily as well as Kodi. “I understand her pain…” Balto thought to himself, realizing that his life up to the serum run was a lot like Emily’s life up until now.

Chapter 14: Acceptance

     Emily sat on the beach, watching the waves come in. “Your family is so nice,” Emily thought to herself as if she were talking to Kodi “I can see where you get your personality from…” As she continued to think about Kodi, she heard footsteps coming up from behind her. She looked around and noticed two dogs: the first dog looked a lot like Kodi’s mom, and the other had Kodi’s fur coloration, but was larger and had a mask-like pattern on his face. Emily turned around to look at the two dogs. “What do you want?” she asked in a depressed tone. The two dogs walked over and sat beside Emily. “Are you Emily?” the first dog asked. “I am” Emily responded. “My name’s Saba,” the first dog said. Saba then pointed her head at the other dog. “This is my brother, Joseph” Saba said calmly. Joseph quietly bowed his head at Emily. “We’re Kodi’s siblings,” said Saba “well, two of them, anyway.” Emily wasn’t sure what to say; Saba and Joseph seemed just as nice as Kodi and his parents, but she felt that Kodi’s siblings would have harbored resentment against her. “I didn’t want your brother to get hurt,” she said as she began to studder “I…I just…he…and then.” Saba went over and placed her paw on Emily’ back. “My dad told me about what you said to him,” said Saba “you’ve been through a lot.” Emily looked to the ground. “I…I know” said Emily. “There’s something else I wanted to say” said Saba. “What is it?” Emily asked. “Well,” Saba began “you like Kodi, right?” Emily nodded quietly. “Well, Kodi likes you, too” said Saba. Emily closed her eyes and lowered her head. “He did…he does?” Emily asked. Saba nodded and smiled. Emily looked back down. “I’m sorry,” Emily said “I don’t deserve him…” Joseph walked over and sat in front of Emily. At first, Emily was intimidated by the fact the Joseph was so tall. “You do…” said Joseph. Emily looked up at Joseph. “What do you mean?” Emily asked. “You’ve been through so much,” Joseph began “based on what Dad told me, Kodi is the first dog to have been nice to you in a while. If anything, more than anything else, you deserve to be with my brother.”

     Emily was shocked that Kodi’s siblings weren’t mad at her. “Why are guys being so nice to me?” Emily asked. Joseph’s face showed a combination of concern and confusion. “Why wouldn’t we?” Joseph asked. “Because all of this is my fault…” Emily said as she avoided eye contact with Kodi’s siblings. “I’m sorry…I didn’t…I don’t….it…I” Emily said as she struggled to find a proper apology. Joseph went over and placed his head on Emily’s shoulder as a friendly gesture. “You don’t have to apologize for anything,” Joseph said calmly “if anything, we’re glad that you prevented Kodi from getting hurt back during the race. And you couldn’t control Kodi’s decision to save you from your owner, you know?” Emily slowly raised her head back up to look at Kodi’s siblings. “You have to understand, my folks have a strong sense of duty,” said Joseph “if someone we care about is being hurt, we’re not gonna sit around and watch; we’re gonna go and do something about it.” Saba nodded in agreement. “He’s exactly right” said Saba. Emily began to smile as Kodi’s siblings convinced her that she wasn’t at fault in this situation. “Thank you, I…your family is so nice…” Saba and Joseph smiled as they continued to comfort Emily. “It’s kind of our thing...” said Joseph in a kind yet humorous tone.

Chapter 15: Finding Home

     The next morning, Emily went back to see Kodi. She stopped at the doorway as she saw one of the doctors conversing with Kodi’s owner, John. “He will be just fine,” said the doctor “there are injuries, but they should heal up soon enough.” John smiled and shook the doctor’s hand. “Thank you so much” said John. The doctor then left and walked passed Emily. Emily slowly walked into the room where Kodi was resting. John then noticed her at the doorway.

     “Hey there…” John said gently. Emily stared at John for a moment. “I remember you,” said John “you’re one of Carlson’s dogs, the one who was hanging out with to Kodi.” Emily continued to stare at John. “You came to visit Kodi, huh?” John asked in a friendly voice. “It’s okay,” he said “you can come in.” Emily smiled as she walked over to where Kodi was resting. John gently patted Emily on the head. Emily looked over at Kodi, who was resting on a bed. She then got up on the bed and sat next to Kodi. John smiled and laughed. “You must really like him, huh girl?” John said calmly. Emily rested her head on Kodi’s shoulder. She could hear Kodi breathing in his sleep. “Thank God,” Emily thought to herself “he’s okay.”

     John smiled, but realized that Emily couldn’t stay in Nome because she didn’t have an owner in town. Then John realized that, with Carlson in prison, he could get the papers to assume custody of Emily. “You know, we could always use more dogs on the sled team,” John said to Emily “and I’d hate to separate you and Kodi.” John then decided to go to the kennel to get the papers to become Emily’s new owner. “You’re getting a new home, girl” John said as he patted Emily on the head before leaving. “I’m gonna be right back,” John said “you can stay here with with Kodi.” Emily smiled as John left to get the paperwork filled out. “I get to stay,” Emily thought to herself “I’m not going to be pulled away this time.”

Chapter 16: “Forgive Me”

     Emily continued to lay her head on Kodi’s shoulder. “I’m glad you’re okay” Emily thought to herself. At that moment, Kodi began to wake up. “Wha…where am I?” Kodi asked in confusion. Kodi then realized that Emily was lying by his side. “Emily,” said Kodi “why are you here….ow!” Kodi then noticed the bandages covering his entire shoulder. “Right, I forgot about that” Kodi said casually. He looked over and noticed that Emily was perfectly okay. “Emily, you’re okay…” Kodi said. Emily went to nuzzle Kodi, and began to tear up. “You had me so worried,” Emily said to him “I’m so sorry, please forgive me.” Kodi smiled and gently rubbed his nose against Emily’s cheek. “You didn’t do anything wrong” Kodi said reassuringly. “I…okay” said Emily.

     “Why did you block him?” Emily asked. “Huh?” Kodi said calmly. “You jumped in front of Carlson to stop him from killing me, why?” Emily asked. Kodi slowly got up and smiled at Emily. “I care about you,” Kodi began “I care about you a lot. You’re such a gentle dog; you don’t deserve to be treated like that.” Emily then got up, and looked Kodi in the eye. “I just feel bad that you got hurt…” said Emily. “I couldn’t watch Carlson shoot you,” Kodi replied “I had to stop him.” Emily thought about what Kodi was saying, and then thought about what his parents and his siblings had said as well. “You and your family are so forgiving…” Emily replied quietly. Kodi appreciated the compliment, but Emily was clearly still implying that she was blaming herself for the whole thing. “C’mon, don’t be like that,” said Kodi “don’t beat yourself up over all this. It was my decision to stop Carlson, not yours.” Emily was silent for several moments. She then looked Kodi in the eye. “I love you so much…” Emily said as she placed her head on Kodi’s shoulder. Kodi smiled and looked at Emily as he turned to nuzzle her. “I love you too…” said Kodi. As Kodi and Emily sat on the bed and nuzzled each other, Kodi’s parents watched quietly from the hallway. Jenna and Balto watched their son and smiled. “My little boy’s growing up” Jenna said happily. Balto smiled at Jenna, and she smiled back. Balto then thought about how Kodi had risked his own life to save another. “I’m proud of you, son,” Balto thought to himself.

Chapter 17: A Hero’s Son

     Several weeks later, Kodi and Emily were sitting on the dock and watching as Laura, Dingo, and Red observed the now frozen water along the beach. “Look, the only way to find out what’s under there is to swim under the surface” said Laura. Dingo shook his head at Laura’s proposal. “And you don’t remember what happened to Dad when he swam in a frozen lake?” Dingo asked rhetorically. “C’mon, brother, this is totally different; Dad got trapped under there; but we have an escape plan right here” said Laura as she pointed at the hole in the ice. She then looked over at Red. “Red, back me up here” said Laura. “I can understand swimming in the ocean during the summer,” said Red “but I’m not taking my chances if the water’s frozen over.” Laura, Dingo, and Red continued to debate what course of action to take regarding the water.

     Emily laughed as she watched the trio continued to argue. “Are they always like this?” Emily asked Kodi. “You have no idea…” said Kodi is he began to laugh as well. “What do you think?” Emily asked out of curiosity. “Hey, I’m not going anywhere near that,” Kodi said humorously “though for the record, I personally side with Dingo and Red on this.” Emily laughed at Kodi’s remark. “Don’t tell Laura that” Emily laughed. “Wasn’t planning on telling her” Kodi responded happily. “Well, I’m going to tell her, then” Emily said jokingly. “Oh no you’re not!” Kodi shouted in enthusiastic response. Kodi then began to tickle Emily. “Stop that, Kodi!” Emily laughed. “Only if you promise not to tell Laura!” said Kodi. “Okay, okay, I won’t say anything” said Emily as she continued to laugh.

     Just then, Scotty ran in and interrupted the group’s antics. “Hey Scotty!” Kodi shouted as he got up from ticking Emily. Emily got up as well. “Got some news for us?” she asked. “Boy do I!” Scotty barked enthusiastically. “What is it?” Kodi asked. “Your mother has given birth to the new arrivals” said Scotty. Kodi froze for a moment. Then he suddenly turned around to his siblings and Red. “Mom’s given birth!” Kodi shouted. The three dogs then ceased their antics. “What?!” Laura asked excitedly. “We have younger siblings now!” Kodi shouted enthusiastically. Laura started to cheer and dance in excitement. “I’m an older sister now, ya!” she shouted happily as she began to dance. “Quit dancing, sis,” said Kodi “let’s go see Mom!” The five dogs then followed Scotty to Jenna’s house.

     Scotty eventually led the group to Jenna’s house, where Saba and Joseph were already waiting. “You guys heard, too?” Laura asked. “Sure did!” Joseph replied happily. The five siblings, along with Red and Emily, walked into Jenna’s house. Balto was resting right next to Jenna, along with five newborn puppies. The five older siblings dropped their jaws. “They’re beautiful, mom…” Dingo said in enthusiastic disbelief. Kodi walked over to where Jenna was resting. “You okay, Mom?” he asked. “I’m fine, Kodiak” Jenna said happily. As Kodi began to observe the puppies, one of them slowly crawled towards Kodi, and nuzzled his leg. The pup looked surprisingly like Balto, but with a black and sand coloration. “Hey there, kiddo,” Kodi said to the puppy “I’m your big brother.” Kodi’s family smiled as they watched the puppy rest next to Kodi’s leg. “I think he likes you, brother” Saba said happily. “Have you thought of names yet, Mom?” “I have,” Jenna replied “the one sitting next to you is Tom.” Kodi smiled as he looked down at Tom. “Hi Tom” said Kodi as he slowly patted Tom on the head. Emily walked over and sat next to Kodi. “He’s adorable” Emily said gently. Kodi smiled at Emily. “I hope I can make a good influence for him” said Kodi. Emily smiled and nuzzled Kodi as she thought back to the day Kodi saved her from Carlson. “I think you’ll be a great big brother” Emily said in encouragement. As the rest of the dogs slowly went over to see the puppies, Kodi nuzzled Emily and smiled. “He deserves to learn from a Hero’s son” Emily said quietly.