Author's Note
This is a "remake". The original was written when I was 12 years old so...anyway, hope you enjoy it. If you want to look at the original go to my old profile at Kodiakfan and its called "Here's my life", but in all honesty...I was 12, so. After four years, I just want to revamp and finish the story. I hope you enjoy :)
I was born June 18th, 1926, on one of the hottest days in Nome. I obviously don't remember much about my birth, I just remember the warmth of my mom and my siblings squirming to get milk. I was the last one born, and also the smallest. That's mainly it when it comes to my memories. I've been told from my mom that I was born around noon, and a half hour later my sibling and I met our dad for the first time.
From the start, I had a good relationship with my parents. I wasn't "as big of a problem as the rest of them" my dad would say. However, I did have my own problems as a pup. I was the smallest and the slowest, so Dad always had to watch over me. I was shy even around my siblings to play most of the time. Can you imagine? Being too scared to play with your brothers and sisters? If it weren't for my dad, I don't think I would've gotten close with my siblings. He was almost like my personal confidence builder. I knew I was the biggest problem, because in general he only had to worry about two of us six pups. The other was Aleu.
I had three sisters and two brothers. Five of us resembled our mother; Aleu, on the other hand, took from my dad's side and was "wolfish" if you wanna put it like that. I can't blame her, we were all part wolf thanks to our dad, but the weird part is that "wolf" is a small part of our breed, and somehow Aleu looked like she belonged in a pack, howling at every full moon. If I was the one that was too shy to try anything, Aleu was too bold and brave to give second thoughts. She'd always be in trouble from swimming too far out in the ocean, jumping over high rocks, going too far from my parents. She was the problem child, and my best friend at the time. Between her and my father, she's the one that really pushed me to go the distance.
One day we were all playing on a beach with our dad and uncle Boris. Uncle Boris was a russian Goose who adopted my father, he was a fun chew toy. The summer day was hot and the beach had gentle zephyrs to cool our warm pelts. It was the last day before we were all getting adopted, and it was like our "goodbye" party as a family. This was the day that lead to one of the biggest controversies our family has ever experienced. Aleu, being quite the singer, got onto a post and started howling a pretty song. We all laughed, not at her, but the at the idea of her being a wolf. This caused our parents to come bounding over to our location, and they separated us. Boris took Aleu onto my dad's boat -the only home he's ever known- and our dad took us to another spot on the beach.
"Why did Uncle Boris take Aleu away?" Kiona asked.
"Yeah, we were having fun!" Dakota whined.
"Kids," Dad said in an unfamiliar, stern voice. He had never been so serious before in my life. "Aleu is not to know about our being part-wolf. Ever. So, if you see her howling, just go about as if every dog in Nome was doing it."
He wasn't mad, or mean. However, he was serious enough to not take this lightly. Aleu was never to know about our heritage. The rest of the day consisted of a strange vibe amongst the siblings. We were all excited about the following day when we would all have new families, but playing with each other didn't feel truthful anymore, it felt like a lie.
"I'm so excited for tomorrow" Aleu sang as she ran round my body. She was the fastest and most enthusiastic of the six of us. If there were a second place, it would go to Saba. "We're gonna have homes, and people, and a fireplace to sleep by, and treats, and toys, and people!" I laughed. I couldn't imagine not being with Aleu everyday now. We had gotten so close in the last six weeks of life, that I don't know if life elsewhere is adaptable. The same goes for Saba, Kiona, Dingo, and Dakota as well, but for some reason I had a feeling that something wasn't going to go right for Aleu tomorrow. I hoped I was just being paranoid as usual.
But, I should learn that sometimes 'paranoia' is just good insight.
No one will want me. I told myself, sitting in the box with the "Puppies for Good Homes" sign. I was fully convinced that I would get left behind and have to live with my dad on the boat. Not that that life was bad, but all I wanted as a six week year old was to have a human and a home.
We were all nervous, except for Aleu. She was excited, and sang her heart out about it.
"Aleu," Our mom said sweetly. "Please don't do that."
"Oh, sorry momma," Aleu said, "It just happens when I'm excited!"mI can tell that my mom's heart sank, but she was still cheerful enough to not show.
Then I saw Saba pounce on her while I hid in a corner, "I'm excited too! I can't wait to get a human, and chew on their socks!" She laughed, being positive as ever. "Papa, are you going to get a human, too?"
Ignoring the conversation about getting humans, I went and sat at another corner. The others were playing with each other, trying to ignore the nerves, but I was letting them take over me. What if I don't get picked? What if I get picked? What if I get picked and they don't like me? What if I get picked and I don't like them? What if Aleu doesn't get picked? I asked myself the latter when Aleu sat next to me and leaned on my shoulder. She was still bigger than me, but she was some how lighter and thinner.
"Why are you down?" Aleu asked me. Before I can answer, I realized I was so distracted by my own inner feelings that I missed the first little boy come up to the box, and I watched as Dingo getting adopted and carried away. I missed my shot! Only five of us left now... I hope Dingo has a good home.
"I'm just afraid of losing you." is all I could say, and she nuzzled me.
"What are you talking about? We'll still be close! Who knows, maybe we'll be neighbors!" Aleu said.
Before long, another child came up to the box, and Aleu started doing tricks to impress. Kiona looked nervously at Aleu, and tried to do something, but she was ultimately picked anyway. Four left.
"Almost," I told Aleu, who honestly was too excited to need my support.
Two more children came up to the box. I licked one of their hands, but Dakota was picked -probably because he was the biggest- and then later Saba. Saba had two different eye colors, I could understand why I wasn't picked. I'm just too small and too average.
The last two: Aleu and I. Mom had started crying, and I realized that if tonight ended like this, where it was just Aleu and me, I'd be perfectly ok with that. As my nerves went down and I accepted not getting adopted, I started to play with Aleu.
She was in every way ahead of me in this competition, but I somehow managed to bite her ear. I comforted her and then felt a hand wrap around my body. I didn't know at first until I saw the boy's face that I was adopted! I was filled with joy and excitement, and I looked back and waved at Aleu who happily waved back. I was too happy at that moment to realize that she was the last one picked, and the sun was going down, which meant she probably wasn't getting adopted today.
I didn't realize any of that until a couple days later.
The boy's house wasn't far, and it looked massive while inside. The boy put me down and I took in the new location I would identify as "home."
"Danny, supper's ready!" his mom called, and Danny left me alone while he went into the kitchen. I spent my time looking around and smelling everything. I don't think these people have ever had dogs before, because I could only smell one scent of another pup, and as far as I could tell, I was the only pup here.
Before long, the a knock on the door. I stood alerted of the new presence, as Danny came to answer. It was a girl holding Aleu! was my initial reaction, but when the girl put the pup down I quickly realized, this pup was not Aleu. She had similar looks, but wasn't my wolf sister, this pup was a dog.
"Did you get a new puppy?" the girl asked, patting me on the head. She had a welcoming vibe.
"Yeah Kay! He's from Balto's litter!" Danny said.
"Balto!? The famous wolf-dog?" Kay asked, excitedly. Their conversation went to the kitchen, and I was left with a wonderstruck pup. It was weird hearing someone other than my mom say my dad's name.
"Balto is your dad?" were the first words the pup said to me. She sounded excited and curious. Why was it a big deal about my dad? He's just my dad, after all. And why did it matter that my dad was a wolf-dog? I felt a little embarrassed and thought I was going to get made fun of.
"Yeah..." I said a little stand offish, "So what?"
"So what?" the pup asked loudly, "You're famous! That's got to be the neatest thing to have a dad who saved the town!"
"My dad saved the town?" I've never heard this story before, but since it's well know, I'll just skip ahead.
"...at least that's what my father said he saw," the pup concluded. "He was on the team with your dad."
"I had no idea my dad was so famous." was all I could say after hearing that tale. Why didn't my dad tell me before?
"I can't believe you haven't heard all of this?" she said.
"I can't either."
She laughed and pounced on me, and we started to play like normal puppies would. She may have resembled Aleu in looks, but she was completely different when it came to play. She was smaller than me and wasn't as agile as my wolfish sister, but that didn't mean she didn't pin me down after a few minutes. I didn't feel ashamed for losing like I normally did. It was no longer a competition among the siblings, no longer a battle I was scared of. I was just fun.
"Alright you win!" I laughed. The pup looked down at me let me go laughing at her victory.
"I can't believe I have a friend who's famous!" She said as I got up.
"I can't either, haha." I said slightly awkwardly "I don't even know your name!"
The two children came into the room, and Kay picked the pup up into her arms. She was leaving.
"I'm Dusty!" She called as she was leaving.
I yell back, "My name is Kodiak! But you can call me Kodi!"