Chapter 8: The Calm Before the Storm

            In Nome, the medicine was ready to leave and the sled was set. Balto, Jenna, Kodi and Dusty watched as the sled, led by Kodi’s son Sean, left for Pilgrim Spring’s. The blizzard was almost unbearable, but many townspeople came out to wish the team good luck. The snowstorm was at its peak in Nome; the visibility was so limited that as soon as the team had gotten less than a hundred feet out of Nome, they vanished into the storm. Jenna turned to Balto as Dusty simultaneously turned to Kodi; they both spoke at the same time, “You think they will be alright?” Balto and Kodi were thinking the same thing, I really hope so, I really hope so.

            Brigham and Nakota had a lot of time to catch up because they would only have to leave in two days. They went back to the barn where all the sled dogs slept before their trip, and seeing as it would be a long and hard one, the Musher wanted to make sure nothing happened to them before the trip. Nakota filled Brigham in on what happened after he escaped. He told him that after Brigham left, the miners had exhausted the gold supply and how they were starting to kill off the dogs. Nakota had managed to get a group of dogs to stage a coup during chow time. The dogs attacked the miners and managed to free the others. There was a bloody battle between the dogs and the miners, but the dogs were at a severe disadvantage because the miners had guns. Nakota had to take a few pauses to gather himself while he told the story. It was hard seeing all his fellow dogs being killed by the miners. He had led a few other dogs to safety while the chaos in the camp ensued. But many of the dogs went their separate ways, trying to get back to their hometowns. Nakota knew it would be hard to find his way back to Taylor, but he had to try. Nakota told Brigham about how he had ran into this wolf tribe under the leadership of a noble wolf named Ulra.

            Brigham had to inject and exclaim the fact that Ulra helped him too. Nakota was surprised to hear that considering the area between Nome and Taylor is vast and the chances of meeting the same exact tribe are very slim. Nakota continued his story with how Ulra had directed him in the way of Taylor. Nakota returned to Taylor in a couple days but his owners had moved and he had no home. Akira had been his old girlfriend but when he was taken, she had moved on and become bitter at the world for another broken heart. She had to cope with the notion that Nakota had died and that he would never return. Even when Nakota had returned and found her, she would not go out with him again, because she was too distraught and told him she had no more love to give anyone. Nakota had found a home with the Musher who noticed his speed as the local butcher was chasing him.

            Nakota fit in quickly with the other sled dogs and he soon became the lead dog. They had actually used the team for mail sometimes to ensure that they were always in shape. Nakota told Brigham of what it was like to pass the exact place where the miner camp used to be. He told him how most of the equipment was still there but it was all abandoned. “I wonder where they went,” said Brigham. Nakota replied, “As long as they are out of Alaska or even just our area, I’ll be happy.” “Yeah, me too.” The other sled dogs had started being nicer to Brigham now and were especially curious seeing as he was Balto’s son, the dog who saved Nome. Brigham finally felt as if things were going his way and that he was fitting in. Man, life is so great now, I’ve got the girl, the friends, a great job. But is this what Aniu was talking about? She said I would do something great surely it has to be this whole medicine dilemma.

             Brigham slept soundly that night, dreaming of the wonderful life that he was living. He dreamt of Akira, he and her were mates and were growing old together; she was just as beautiful as the first time he saw her. When he awoke he was the only one awake. It was still a dark out, but there was a faint light on the horizon. Brigham walked to the entrance of the barn. He looked out at the mountains and the light that was slowly creeping behind them like a timid light not wanting to be seen. He watched as the light began to shed colors of bright orange and blue. He was awoken from his trance when he heard a familiar and unmistakable voice. “Brigham?” He turned quickly to see Akira holding something. She was so breathtaking, and as he looked at her, the sun began to emerge over the mountains behind him, perfectly hitting her body. Her eyes shone in the sunlight and the rays played off her fur. “You’re up really early Akira, is anything wrong?” She smiled at him, admiring his features. His half wolf blood made his body very lean and muscular. It also gave him a sort of rugged look. “Nothing’s wrong Brig, I just wanted to see you before left.”

            Her thoughtfulness only made him love her even more. He knew she was the one, and he was actually hoping that he could see her before he left. “Thanks, I’m really glad you came.” She walked up to him, “I wanted to give you something before you left, so you would remember me.” “Oh, ok well what is it?” “Its something Anthony gave to me when he first bought me.” She held out a little pin that a star on it, the star was made out of crystal and had a little heart in the center.  She’s giving me something Anthony gave her….. Anthony, I’m getting this medicine for you, hang in there. “Are you sure you want to give me this, isn’t special?” “That’s exactly why I’m giving it to you Brigham, because I don’t know if you’ll ever come back, the storms only supposed to get worse. What if you fall into a river or off a cliff? What if you get attacked by a bear?” Brigham was comforted by her compassion and care and smiled, “Don’t worry Akira, I’ll be fine. I’ve been in worse remember? And besides, Aniu is watching over me like you said; I will come back to you, and I will save Anthony.”

            They both leaned in and kissed passionately and tenderly. They never wanted to forget the feeling, the volcano-like ecstasy that erupted when they kissed. Brigham never wanted to forget her scent, so he made sure he took in as much as he could. Akira had already fallen for Brigham, but this kiss was what pushed her over the edge into love. When they parted, they both were breathing heavily. They both looked at each other and chuckled. Brigham smiled, “Man, I don’t even think I need that pin anymore.” “Yeah yeah wonderwolf, just be safe alright? And maybe if you make it back, there will be more where that came from.” She winked and walked away smiling to herself. More where that came from? How can something sound so cliché but still be so awesome? He is an amazing kisser though; I’ll give him that.

             As Akira walked away, Brigham smiled the biggest he ever did in his life. Thank you so much Aniu, thank you for letting me meet her! By this time, the sun was not as timid, and was separating from the mountains. Even though it was still early, the rest of the dogs were waking and stretching. Nakota walked out from the barn smiling. “You know, if you weren’t my best friend, I’d have beat you up for kissing my ex.” Brigham was slightly embarrassed, “Y.. You saw that?” “Ha, you’re not the only one who gets up early Brig. But forget about it, we need to go suit up.” They both walked back into the barn and got ready for the run of almost 10 hours to Pilgrim Springs.

Chapter 9: Destiny Never Forgets Whom It Calls

            The team was ready and the town was outside ready to send them off. It was no later than 8am when the team left the roaring crowd. Akira was one of the many other dogs in the crowd seeing the team off.  When they left the snow was falling steadily and the wind was at a minimum, but not even 2 hours into the run the weather had taken a change for the worse. The snow was now falling hard. Which, coupled with the high winds, meant the snow was almost horizontal. The Musher had even changed the line up of the dogs in order to get more power out of the front. He now had Brigham and Nakota in front, which helped for a little while, but the weather remained the victor. The Musher knew he needed to find shelter, but the dogs continued to push on. Nakota turned to Brigham trying to yell over the howling wind, “We need to find shelter Brigham! The storm is too bad.”

            Brigham wanted to keep going, he knew Anthony could not hold out for so long, but he also knew that it was not just him out there. Brigham looked around and saw a small cave, “There! Head for the cave.” The team managed to escape the storm and find shelter in a cave. The cave was warm and The Musher had managed to build a fire. He gave the dogs some meat and water and let them rest. “As soon as the storm looks bearable, we will head out; so rest up.”

            As soon as he had finished speaking, there was a terrible growl at the back of the cave.  The Musher knew what that sound meant and ran for his gun. As he was just grabbing his gun the bear ran out of the shadows and hit The Musher knocking him off his feet. The bear was about to continue his attack when Nakota jumped on it along with Brigham. Brigham latched his jaws on the bears paw, as he was about to strike The Musher. But the bear only swatted him off with his other paw. Nakota took advantage of his distraction and bit down on the bear’s neck. He was able to puncture the jugular but the bear only become more irate. The bear started to back quickly towards the wall on its hind legs. Brigham was saw what was about to happen and bit down on the bear’s foot making it start to fall over. Nakota was given enough time to jump off but the bear wasn’t finished. The bear took a swipe with its claws to Nakota’s hind leg when he was jumping.

            Nakota was shot through the air landing hard against the cave wall. He was knocked unconscious but a couple of the dogs guarded his body as the rest joined Brigham in cornering the dying, enraged bear. The bear was taking mindless swipes at the encroaching dogs, but they were easy to dodge. The bear slowly began to fall as he lost more and more blood. However, before the bear had succumbed to the coming death The Musher shot him with his gun. The shot startled all the dogs and made them jump.

            The Musher was breathing hard holding his chest, “That’s why I hate bears!” He bent down and leaned on his knee as the dogs began licking him out of gratitude and concern. “I’m fine, he just knocked the wind out of me. But where is Nakota?” The dogs cleared a pathway to Nakota’s body where Brigham was sitting next too. Come on Nakota, I can’t lose you, my first real friend. The Musher walked over to him and examined his body. Nakota’s back leg was broken and bleeding slightly, but he had a steady pulse.

            “He’s fine, he’s just unconscious, but we do need to quick fix his leg.” The Musher made a splint out of the potential firewood and wrapped Nakota’s leg. “The weather has cleared enough for us, and Nakota needs some better help. Brigham you’re lead dog now.” The Musher secured Nakota onto the sled and wrapped him up in his blankets. After all the dogs were in their harnesses and adjusted positions, they set out, back into the roaring snowstorm.

            The other team was having equal difficulty with the run to Pilgrim Springs. Kodi’s son Sean was leading the team but it was not going as he had planned his first big run to go. Unlike Brigham’s team who had to face ravage bears, Sean’s team was facing crevasses and other harsh terrain. At this point, the team was off course. The Musher was unable to see where he was going and was forced to stop many times. Sean knew the children in Taylor were running out of time.  If only we had more time, or maybe this storm could let up. Those kids will die if we don’t get the medicine to the halfway point. And it doesn’t help that we are of course.

            At that moment Sean saw something within the storm. The image looked to be a figure of some animal. He squinted his eyes to try and focus more, and upon further inspection he was able to make out a white wolf. He quickly turned to his fellow sled dogs, “Do you guys see that? Up ahead, there’s a white wolf” The other dogs responded unanimously with confusion and expression of the fact there isn’t anything there. He looked back again but the wolf had vanished. Wha?.... That can’t be, I just saw it.  But no matter how hard he tried, he could not find the wolf anywhere. Am I seeing things? “You’re not seeing things young one.”

            The celestial voice seemed as if it came from everywhere, but Sean couldn’t find who was speaking. He turned to the other sled dogs, “please tell me you guys heard that.” But once again, they all looked confused and began to whisper amongst themselves. One of his friends spoke up, “Are you ok Sean?” Sean was naturally embarrassed and angry, “No! I’m fine.” He quickly faced forward, agitated and annoyed, only to see the source of his problems once more. “No one else can see me because no one else has hope Sean. You have a pure heart full of courage, but you must not lose faith because others do.” Sean spoke in a whisper because he didn’t want the other dogs to hear, but they wouldn’t have heard him anyway in the midst of the storm.

             “Who are you?” “I am Aniu, The Great White Wolf. I’m here to guide you to Pilgrim Springs, but you must trust in me.” “I… I think I can do that.” “No, if you do not fully trust in me, you will never make it to Pilgrim Springs. Which will result in the deaths of many children in Taylor.” Sean felt a surge of courage fill his body like an outpouring of a geyser. “I trust you Aniu, with everything I have, just please get us to Pilgrim Springs…. Those children won’t last much longer.” At that moment the scenery around Sean became clear and the storm ceased. However, Sean was the only one that was able to see this miracle. Alright, time to get to Pilgrim Springs.

            Unlike Sean’s team, Brigham had a little more difficulty finding Pilgrim springs, but they eventually made it to the town. Nakota was being tended too by the veterinarian while the other dogs rested. The dogs had only a short time to rest, before Sean’s team arrived with the medicine. It was 11pm when Sean’s team arrived in Pilgrim Springs exhausted. Instead of heading out during the middle of the night in the already treacherous storm, the mayor decided to wait till morning. This way, all the dogs could recuperate and be rested for their run back to Taylor in the morning. Brigham visited Nakota while he was in the Veterinarians office.

             Nakota was sleeping on a few pelts in a small room with a wood stove to keep him warm. He awoke at the sound of Brigham’s footsteps, “Brigham, I know it’s you.” Brigham smiled, he was happy to see that his old friend was fine. “Well if you’re well enough to be that acute, then I know you’re well enough to run with us.” Nakota looked down, “Not entirely, the vet says I won’t be able to run for at least a few weeks. Seems the bear cracked a rib or two… oh and my leg.” Even though Nakota was chuckling, Brigham could sense the sadness in his voice. “Hey… don’t worry, we will get the medicine to Taylor tomorrow. I’m sure the vet will let you ride on the sled to Taylor with us.” “Yeah, I think that’s what they were planning on doing, if I heard right.”  “Well it’s settled then, you get some sleep; I’ll see you tomorrow.” “Night Brig.”

            Brigham left the room and began to make his way through the waiting room when he saw Sean. At the sight of Brigham, Sean made his way towards him. “Hey Brigham, I heard about Nakota, is he gonna be ok?” Brigham smiled, “Yeah, he’s fine. He’ll actually be riding with us on our way back to Taylor. I heard you had a rough run over here too.” “Yeah…” Brigham noticed that Sean trailed his voice, “Something wrong Sean?” Sean shook his head as if in a trance, “What?... oh yeah well the weirdest thing happened to me while we were making our way here. The storm was really getting really bad, but then this white wolf appeared.”

            As Sean continued talking, Brigham lost track because he was internally laughing at how his grandmother had appeared to him numerous times. But before Brigham could wade more in thought, Sean spoke to him. “Is that weird?” Brigham laughed, which probably was not the best decision seeing as Sean turned red in embarrassment. Brigham caught it and explained, “I wasn’t laughing at you Sean, I was simply laughing at the fact the Aniu has somehow appeared to almost everyone I ever come in contact with.” At the sight of Sean’s confusion, Brigham continued speaking. “Well, Aniu is my grandmother, and frankly… your great grandmother.”

            Sean looked even more confused, so Brigham at the beginning of it all, with his dad’s story and his own story. The two talked long into the night, but not once did Brigham become tired. He enjoyed telling someone his life story and how Aniu had worked in it. It felt revitalizing to his spirit to know that someone was benefiting from his story and that Aniu really was helping him. But she was not just helping him physically, but with moral support of his peers.