Paw prints in the snow slowly began to be covered up with snow as the wolf-dog sat watching the waves roll ashore, she was all alone. She had great friends, friends that she wouldn’t give away from anything in the world, although sometimes she wanted a real family, someone who could tell her everything would be alright in the stormy nights, someone she could tell her thoughts and dreams to.
Dusty slowly turned around and looked over towards the wooden ship stranded on the beach where
Slowly she walked back along the road towards her home and as she walked she couldn’t help but look in to the different homes where in one she saw Jenna and another one her pups sitting beside a warm fire talking to each other. Laughing to her self Dusty kept walking, she didn’t need a family she had lived a happy life so far without one, she was a mail-dog and was highly regarded in the town. Hearing a tapping at a nearby window Dusty turned around to see a few huskies looking at her and pretending to howl, they were obviously making fun of her wolfish appearance…but she had news for them, she wasn’t a wolf she was a husky. Ignoring them and holding her head up high Dusty kept walking towards her home.
Once she was there she quickly ran inside once her owner had opened the door for her. Running over to the warm fire Dusty sat down as her elderly owner sat down on a chair beside her patting her head. ‘Oh Dusty, I’m getting to old to look after you, so my son will be taking you from now on…’ The elderly lady looked down at Dusty who looked confused not understanding what she was saying, ‘…oh Dusty if only you could understand me.’ The lady smiled as Dusty’s tail wagged behind her.
The next morning Dusty woke up beside the burnt out fire, she stretched her legs out and yawned but before she could go and get breakfast she heard a tapping at the window, it was Kodi. Smiling Dusty quickly ran towards the door and scratched it until her owner let her out. ‘Hey Kodi!’ She said smiling and looking up at him not noticing the sad look on his face. ‘What’s wrong?’ Dusty said beginning to look worried.
‘Dusty these men came last night and they said I’m the fastest dog they’ve ever seen!’ Kodi said jumping up in excitement. ‘But they’re taking me away for a year or so…’
‘Wait you can’t leave!’ Dusty said shocked looking at him.
‘This could be the biggest break in my career. I might finally be as famous as my father!’ Kodi said holding his head up high.
‘When are you leaving?’ Dusty asked bitterly.
‘Tonight…’ Kodi said but didn’t get to finish.
‘What…what about the mail run? In wind, hail or shine?’ Dusty laughed, ‘We wouldn’t be a team any more without you…’ Dusty sighed.
‘Someone will replace me.’ Hearing someone call his name Kodi quickly turned around to see his owner beckoning him. ‘Come and see my off tonight Dusty!’ Kodi yelled as he ran over to his owner leaving Dusty looking after him.
‘But we were a team…’ Dusty sighed sitting down on the cold porch.
When ever you want something to never end, it always seems to be over so soon that you’ve hardly enjoyed the time you’ve had left. The sun in the sky moved so fast that Dusty barely had time to contemplate what was going on and before she knew it the moon was in the sky and the stars behind it glittering like a thousand diamonds in the sky.
When ever someone says that goodbyes aren’t hard it means they haven’t had to say it to someone who they cared about knowing that there was a high possibility they’d never see each other again. Dusty watched as Kodi lead a small team off in to the cold night disappearing like when day turns into night.
She wasn’t sure how long she had sat there in the cold snow, hoping that Kodi would change his mind and come home. A break in the clouds let the moon shine down illuminating her light brown coat and making her purple-blue eyes glisten with a dying hope that was like a candle being blown out by the wind.
Finally the light in her eyes had all but burnt out as she turned around and slowly trudged home turning her back on her best friend, he was gone, and he wasn’t coming back.
Once Dusty had returned home she quickly ran up to her owner who patted her kindly before bringing out a leash she was holding. Looking a little confused Dusty thought that it was a little late for a walk. She didn’t fight against her owner as she slowly put a collar and leash on Dusty. ‘Oh Dusty…this time tomorrow you’ll be leaving
Even though Dusty couldn’t really understand what she was saying she understood enough to know that she was also going to be leaving. But she couldn’t what about the mail run? They needed her with Kodi gone she was moving up a position she was going to take charge.
From the door the elderly woman’s son walked in as Dusty quickly cowered behind her owner as the man took her leash and began to pull her outside. Whining for her owner Dusty watched as the elderly lady waved goodbye to her as the door shut in Dusty’s face. Frowning she looked up at the man who sighed. ‘Don’t worry Dusty I’m not going to hurt you…’ He chimed. The man was much younger then the elderly lady and looked about in his mid twenties. He had short brown hair and brown eyes and was much taller then anyone Dusty had ever seen before.
The man took Dusty to a strange house and tied her up outside on the porch as he went inside leaving her outside. To full of rage to sleep Dusty remained awake nearly all night until finally her eyelids grew so heavy she didn’t even realize she had fallen asleep.
‘Look it’s the wolf-dog!’ The sound of voices woke Dusty as she looked down at a few huskies looking up at her. Frowning but not saying anything Dusty looked away from them but that morning they persisted and came even closer teasing her.
‘Look you guys I’m not a wolf alright!’ Dusty snapped turning around looking at them.
‘I heard that she attacked her owner because she is too much like a wolf…’ One of them whispered as Dusty growled and jumped up on her feet but the others just laughed knowing she couldn’t get them. ‘Oh no look the wolfs angry…’ They laughed and ran away as Dusty sighed before sitting back down looking after them, what she wouldn’t give to be like them, to run with them but the only friends she had she would never see them again. She would never see Kirby or Ralph again.
The man came outside with a smile and sat beside Dusty who walked as far away from him as possible because of her leash. The man put down a bowl of food but Dusty sneered at it despite the fact her stomach was growling loudly. The man smiled slyly and just sat their as Dusty looked at him and after about half an hour Dusty slowly walked forward and ate the food in the bowl. The man went to pat her on the head but she quickly dodged him and smiled back at him. The man gave her a funny look before standing up and walking back inside.
The day went by so quick that the time that she was able to talk to Kirby and Ralph was so short she barely had time to say any proper goodbyes. The awesome foursome was splitting up and now they weren’t even going to be a trio any more.
‘Come on Dusty.’ The man said holding the leash as Dusty just sat down not wanting to move. Finally Dusty had to give in because the collar was starting to hurt her. Slowly she slipped into a harness with a few other dogs she had never seen before. ‘Who are you!?’ One exclaimed looking at her.
‘She looks like a wolf.’ Another said whispering to the others.
‘I’m not a wolf!’ Dusty barked at them as she turned to see Kirby and Ralph standing nearby looking at her and smiling. Smiling back at them for one last time she heard her new owner yell mush and she ran forward following the dogs in front of her.
Soon Nome was only a flicker in the distance as she ran and ran, they only stopped once or twice the entire day but for some reason Dusty didn’t seem to tire it was as though she wanted to run away, to escape, but why?
As night drew near they made it to a nearby town which was much larger then
Her new owner slowly unleashed all the dogs who all ran over to a nearby water container. The man turned to Dusty who looked up at him. ‘Now don’t you go running off because Nome is to far away…look at this I’m talking to a dog…’ he mumbled as he let Dusty go from the leash and as soon as he did she sprang forward smiling as she looked around. Turning around she watched the man disappear as she sneered, she wasn’t going to stay here she was going to try and find a way home.
‘Where are you going?’ One of the dogs in the sled team said as she walked past them not even thinking about having a drink. Ignoring them Dusty ran forward into the town as all the other dogs looked at each other. ‘She’s probably running back off to the wild.’ One of them laughed as they turned back around.
As Dusty walked through the town the people there simply ignored her as they walked past her some even nearly tripping right over her because they weren’t looking where they were going. The people in this place where all dressed funny, not like the people in Nome, they all looked so serious and looked as though they all had a bad smell under their nose because their heads where up so high, it made Dusty laugh out aloud.
Walking the streets she tried to listen out for anyone saying the word Nome but so many people were talking and all at once that she couldn’t make out individual words it was all one big jumbled sound, she had no idea how the humans could ever understand each other.
After what seemed an eternity she reached the edge of town where it turned into a huge forest that extended far into the distance. She watched it as the sun went down as though weighing up her chances of entering it to try and find her way home. Suddenly she heard a rustle in the trees and as she squinted she jumped back when she saw two glowing eyes looking back at her. Her heart skipped a beat as she quickly turned around and ran back into the main center of the town, although now that night had come all the people had gone in to the buildings and only a few stray dogs walked down the streets. Thinking one of them might now the way back to
‘Hi, umm excuse me but I’m looking for
‘Please don’t hurt me wolf…’ She said, ‘I’ll tell you where
She quickly followed the Husky’s instructions and just before she was out of the town a group of dogs jumped out of the shadows blocking her way. Dusty looked at them as she tried to walk past them but they blocked her path. ‘Let me go.’ Dusty said frowning slightly as one of the dogs who was completely black stepped forward.
‘We don’t let wolves go free in my town.’
‘I’m not a wolf.’ Dusty said.
‘If it looks like a wolf, then I’m pretty sure it is a wolf.’ The black dog said sarcastically as he stepped back and the dogs behind him all leapt onto Dusty. Trying to fight back Dusty realized that there were too many of them.
Hearing something behind her Dusty ignored it as she continued to try and fight back when suddenly all the dogs attacking her leapt off and ran away in to the night. Turning around Dusty looked up to see the man who had brought her here standing in front of her with a stick scaring the other dogs away. The man brought Dusty back to the hotel he was staying in before shaking his head and looking down at her as she licked some of the scratches on her legs.
‘I bring you here and all you do is go and cause fights, I told my mother that having a wolf hybrid was a bad idea, all they do is start fights…’ The man grumbled as he lit a small fire in the fireplace before going into his bedroom and closing his door. Dusty slowly walked closer to the fire before stopping in front of it still not believing that the man who had ruined her life had rescued her and she wasn’t a wolf hybrid why does everyone say that she was? Dusty didn’t have long to think because she quickly fell fast asleep.
Slowly Dusty woke up the next morning and stretched her legs out and yawned, she turned to the door where the man went last night and noticed that he had already left that moring probably to go to work. Placing her head back on her paws, she ignored the pain from the scratches and bites the dogs had given her last night and rather thought about
Although the words of being called a wolf still hit Dusty hard, she couldn’t be a wolf if she was then why would someone have adopted her and not a wolf-dog like the legendary Balto? Closing her eyes she sighed when she thought about her adoption day…
Her brothers and sisters all looked almost identical as Dusty played blissfully with one of her brothers. The woman who was selling them was giving them away for free because she had already tried to sell them but they looked to wolfish and no one would buy them so she was trying to get rid of them. An elderly lady walked up to the box and Dusty instantly jumped up and down as the lady picked her up and Dusty licked her face.
‘I’m taking this one home…’ She said looking at the owner.
‘Let me warn you, they are part wolf.’ The owner said not batting an eyelid or looking up from her magazine. The elderly lady just ignored her as she carried Dusty away. The ladies perfume was so strong that Dusty sneezed.
‘Bless you dear…hmm I think I’ll call you Dusty…’ The lady said as Dusty wagged her tail. She looked back towards her siblings and waved goodbye she finally had a home
Dusty wasn’t sure what happened to them all she remembered was a man coming and taking them all away and after that she never saw them again. Standing up Dusty noticed the man had left the window open and so slowly she walked over and jumped out noticing that once again the street was so busy with people that they didn’t notice her. In the shadows someone was watching her their eyes glowing a bright blue as they did.
Walking over to a nearby puddle Dusty quickly drank the water and didn’t notice as a Husky walked up and stood beside her. ‘Hi there!’ He said looking down at her as she looked up at him.
‘Hello.’ Dusty said smiling a little, ‘You’re not going to run away because you think I’m a wolf are you?’ She asked sighing.
‘Don’t worry about that wolves come around here a lot I’m used to it, in fact I’m friends with one of them…’ he said smiling slyly.
‘Sorry to disappoint you but I’m not a wolf.’ Dusty said raising an eyebrow as she began to walk away.
‘But you look like one?’ The Husky called out after her, but she ignored him and kept walking.
That day Dusty didn’t run into any of the dogs she had seen the night before but just incase she made sure she was never out of sight of people who could come help her if they did attack her again.
For the first time in her life she felt free, she go any where, do anything without anything she didn coming back to haunt her, she didn’t need to come home she was free. The best thing about this new town was the annoying huskies like in
As the day went on she realized how hungry she was and she eagerly sniffed around a few shops that were selling all this food she had never seen before. One of the men at the shops threw down some meat to her as she walked past. Looking up at him with a puzzled look Dusty quickly ate it before running away.
Dusty ran to the edge of the town where she had come the day before and breathed in the cold air this was her first step back home. Before she could put her foot down she saw the man who was looking after her. For a moment Dusty paused if she was going to leave she might as well stay and learn more about the man who had been looking after her, for all she knew maybe he was just going to take her home again?
She slowly followed after him for most of the day trying to find out what he was doing here. But the man didn’t give away much he just seemed to talk to a lot of different people and exchange bags of some sort and the move on to someone else. Dusty watched as he walked into a building but before she could get a closer look the Husky who she had been talking to before jumped out in front of her causing her to jump back in surprise. ‘You again.’ She said frowning.
‘I have a name you know…its Xander.’ Said the black and red husky holding his head up high.
‘My names Dusty…’
‘Do you sneeze a lot?’ Xander said amusing himself as Dusty just frowned and walked away but Xander quickly ran in front of her and stopped her.
‘What do you want Xander?’ Dusty asked starting to lose her patience.
‘Met me outside the house you’re staying at tonight alright?’
‘Why…?’ She didn’t get to finish because Xander interrupted her.
‘Trust me!’ With that Xander quickly bounded off in to the crowd as Dusty looked after him not sure what to think about the crazy husky.
Hearing some commotion behind her Dusty turned around to see a man all dressed in blue harassing her new owner just as he walked out of a building. She watched for a moment and was about to walk away but in the corner of her eye she watched as the man in blue hit her owner knocking him to the ground. Snarling to herself she turned around and ran past all the onlookers and jumped in front of her owner growling and showing her white teeth at the man in blue who instantly stepped back away.
‘I want it by this week, and if that wolf-dog ever comes close to me I’ll kill it!’ The man in blue spat as he walked away into the crowd. The hair on the back of Dusty’s neck stood on end she had never felt so angry before and she wasn’t quite sure why. The man behind her stood up rubbing the side of his face as he grabbed Dusty by her collar and started to drag her away. For a moment Dusty resisted but slowly followed him as the man let go of her leash and they walked back to the room they were staying in.
Once they were back the man was about to pat Dusty but she saw it and quickly slinked away from him, she still didn’t trust him she only did that as a thanks for saving her last night. For the rest of the day Dusty slept beside the warm fire telling her self that tomorrow she would return home.
That night when Dusty was asleep she heard something tapping at her window and when she looked up she saw Xander looking at her with a smile on his face. Standing up Dusty walked to the window and pushed it open with her nose. ‘You forgot didn’t you?’ Xander said frowning a little.
‘No I just didn’t want to come.’ Dusty said yawning.
‘Please come out I have someone who wants to meet you.’ Xander said and disappeared from the window. Dusty looked a little unsure as she quickly climbed out and walked on to the road where she saw a huge dog standing there, for a moment she thought it was Kodi but quickly realized it wasn’t.
‘Xander what’s going on?’ She asked starting to get worried that it was the dogs from last night. The huge dog moved in to the light of the moon and Dusty instantly saw that it was a huge black and brown wolf with glowing green eyes.
Before any of them could say anything a man from a nearby house looked out his window and saw them, he quickly grabbed his gun and ran outside. ‘Get out of our town you stupid wolves!’ he yelled firing shots at them. Xander instantly whirled around and ran in to a nearby house.
‘Come with me now.’ The wolf demanded as Dusty shook her head and ran back to house she was staying in but the window had been closed by the wind and she pawed the window trying to get in as a gunshot rang through her ears smashing the glass. Frightened she ran back on to the street where the large wolf looked at her again. ‘Dusty come with me.’ Looking back at the crazed man Dusty quickly followed the large wolf with gunshots ringing out behind her, she had never been so scared in her entire life. She was a dog so why was he shooting at her, she wasn’t a WOLF!?
Dusty’s new owner ran outside into the street and started yelling at the man with the gun, ‘Thats my dog stop shooting!’ Seeing her new owner Dusty smiled as she stopped and was about to run over to him knowing he’d protect her but the wolf in front of her also stopped and looked back at her.
‘Follow me Dusty quickly or he’ll kill you…’ Another gunshot rang out which made Dusty yelp in fright as she did as she what she was told and followed the wolf who seemed to know who she was.
The two didn’t stop until they were in the forest as Dusty turned to him and growled. ‘Who do you think you are, I can protect myself!’
‘Listen to me Dusty I just saved your life you owe me five minutes.’ Sighing Dusty paced for a moment before stopping and nodding just as black clouds covered the moon and it started to snow. ‘Dusty you are not a dog you’re a wolf and I know who your family are now come with me!’
‘No you listen, I’m a dog not a wolf I have an owner in
A wolf suddenly leapt out of the trees making Dusty’s heart skip a beat. ‘A man is coming we must leave now…’ Whilst both wolves were busy talking Dusty quickly turned around and began to run blindly through the forest as the snow storm started to get stronger. She had no idea how long she was running for but she knew she had to find the town she wasn’t a wild animal she just wanted to go back to
Squinting her eyes she saw something up ahead and she quickly ran towards it hoping that it was someone out looking for her. A man was kneeling down on the snow and Dusty quickly ran up to him recognizing his scent immediately it was her new owner.
‘Dusty?’ he said looking at her as she stopped in front of him her tail wagging slightly behind her. She looked up at him noticing he was shivering madly. She quickly grabbed his coat with her teeth trying to drag him back on to his feet so they could go back to their apartment in the town and leave before the wolves came back. She wasn’t quite sure why but she was scared of the wolves, something inside felt like she knew who they were but something else a stronger force told her to run and hide and that the wolves were nothing but killers, ‘No Dusty I’m too tired…’ He said closing his eyes and falling back onto the snow. Quickly letting go of his coat Dusty licked his face but he wouldn’t wake back up. Starting to panic she turned around and howled to the sky as though something had taken over her body, she needed help she needed people.
From the shadows the wolf appeared and looked at Dusty for a moment before walking forward towards her. ‘Come with me Dusty…’ he said looking at her.
‘Help me I need to find the town.’ She said looking up at him.
‘Your dependence on these humans sickens me, you belong here with us. I can show you who you are and your heritage, who you family is…’ Dusty’s ears perked up.
‘You know my family?’ She asked.
‘Come with me…’ The wolf said holding back a growl but Dusty didn’t seem to notice.
‘I-I can’t leave him he’ll die.’ Dusty said looking down at the man and licking his face trying to wake him up.
‘Then I’ll force you to come…’ The wolf said snarling as more glowing eyes appeared all around her closing in on her.
‘Who are you really?’ Dusty growled turning around trying to show that she wasn't worried.
‘You’re smarter then I thought Dusty to bad you didn’t just do as you were told then we wouldn’t have had to force you…’ One of the wolves snuck up behind Dusty and grabbed the collar she was wearing and because the wolf was much bigger and stronger then her he began to drag her away from her owner.
‘No wait!’ Dusty yelled struggling against the wolf as they pushed her further and further away.
‘Attack us and you won’t be alive by the time we reach my land…’ The wolf sneered. Slowly the man began to disappear in to the distance as Dusty was dragged further and further away. She didn’t understand. who were these wolves? Why did they lie to her? Why do they want her? No matter how she struggled against them she couldn’t escape and her owner was now far in the distance…
‘What do you want from me; I’m only a dog…’ Dusty said looking up at the wolf with green eyes.
‘Oh don’t worry you’ll be the answer and hopefully end the war between my pack and yours.’
‘Listen I’m a dog I don’t have a pack.’
‘Oh so little you know Dusty, if only you knew…’ He turned to look at her ‘and you soon will daughter of
PART 2 COMING SOON