Okay, everyone! It's October 31st/Halloween!
And that means, in terms of choosing the survivor of this story "Who'll It Be" involving whether it is Aleu or Kodi who dies, that your time's up!
And, since Aleu was given one vote way back and, up to now, Kodi was given not a one, that means that you have chosen Aleu to survive!
NOTE WELL:
I own none of the characters. They all belong to the Balto franchise.
Who'll It Be?
THE CONCLUSION
Despite how it tortured them to have to choose one of them and only one of them thanks to how there was no way in hell that anybody in that heroic canine group could possibly save them both in time, plus took quite a long, lengthy, seemingly unending amount of time for anyone to think of who to save, they soon heard Steele say: "Your time is running out!"
They all suddenly opened their eyes widely following these words, then started wracking their brains worse than ever, but when they heard the hunter say: "Hurry up before I kill them both just to be sure, though I'm tempted to kill the she-wolf here and would if it were my choice and not any of yours!" a sudden eagerness to make sure that he would not lose his only daughter again, especially by death, seized Balto.
But, though he knew how selfish it would be to act on said eagerness, the fact he would miss Aleu so much and that same Aleu deserving to live notwithstanding, and thus was unselfish in trying to think of a way that would save them both in time, if he could, Ralph, all of a sudden seized by how he needed to save the first one of them who came to mind as to who should live, and that one being Aleu(though it could have just as easily have been Kodi, mind you, this was freak chance that attacked his mind)because no one could allow both of them to lose their lives, acted differently.
He was suddenly going for where Aleu was, yelling as he did so: "Words can't describe how sorry I am, Kodi, and this is applied to every other dog trapped in this horrible spot! Please let that be known to all of you unless you're that asshole hunter and/or that son of a bitch Steele!" making his way to Aleu and closing his mouth on her chain, and Kodi opened his eyes widely, while Aleu opened hers even more widely.
"AHA! The choice has been made, Steele!" said the hunter as he saw Ralph bite Kodi's chain and then he said to Steele: "Do your thing!"
"With pleasure!" Steele shouted as he whacked dirt into Kodi's face, causing the latter to go: "AAAUUUUGGGGUUUAAFFFF!" and, just after Kodi yelled: "I WILL ALWAYS LOVE ALL OF YOU IN MY FAMILY, AND REMEMBER YOU WHO ARE MY FRIENDS, ESPECIALLY YOU, DUSTY!" the hunter shot Kodi through the skull, killing him instantly.
"KODI! NO!" Aleu screamed in unison with everyone else, except for Ralph, who was silent both because of how full of shame and remorse he was and due to how it tortured him to have to cause the death of either one, and now it was torturing him worse than ever, especially since he knew how much the others would hate him, even though it was either that or both of Balto's captured children being gunned down(the fact that, again, it could have just as easily been Kodi who became the one he would save, was a shitload of salt in an gapingly open would).
The hunter, after hearing this, went: "Well, would you look at that? How amazing is the irony here!"
After Kodi had been gunned down, the bullet finding its way into his forehead having made it so that he flopped over like the corpse he now was, the chain was twisted, causing him to fall onto his back.
Steele subsequently stated: "It's clear that big boy here could have gone to save either one, though obviously not both, which made him torn between them just as much as the rest of you are, but I guess a sudden coming to mind of Aleu, despite the fact that there was an equal chance of Kodi coming to mind all of a sudden, hit him just then, so he quickly bit her chain and saved her skin while signing her brother's death warrant. Freak chance killed Kodi, even though Aleu here, being part wolf like she is, is the freak! Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!"
Aleu, after having screamed in horror about this along with everyone else, now hung her head while she was unchained and said: "KODI…" in a sadness laden tone of voice, and after that, she burst into tears of mourning, which Balto then did along with Jenna and Dingo, and, though not quite as much as those others, Ralph, followed by the others who Steele had forced into this along with the hunter, with Steele saying: "I guess you decided it was better to do what Balto was tempted to do, since losing one of his sons is something that would hurt him far less than to be separated from his only daughter again, eh? Or at least you must have thought that, given what you just did, big guy! Oh, hell, you don't know that, and you may never know it, or at least take one hell of a long time to, but one way or the other, it must have flashed across your mind! Maybe you even wanted Dusty while Kodi had her! Or maybe not! But on that count, as well, you'll really never know for sure! In any case, you saved her at the cost of Kodi's life, you oversized meathead!"
Aleu's crying grew to be harder than the others, which is quite a statement, and, when she mustered up enough ability to speak while still having rapids of tears going down her cheeks, the she-wolf blew up at Ralph: "FUCK YOU, YOU OVERGROWN OAF! I KNOW WHY THE HELL YOU FUCKING DID THIS, DESPITE HOW YOU MIGHT NOT REALIZE WHY THAT SUDDEN DECISION TO SAVE ME HIT YOUR MIND, AND HOW IT WOULD SEEM LIKE THE BEST THAT ANY OF US COULD FUCKING HOPE FOR, BUT I STILL FUCKING HATE YOU, EVEN THOUGH I DON'T WANT TO FUCKING HATE YOU AT ALL, NOR FUCKING HATE ANYONE HERE BUT THE FUCKING HUNTER AND STEELE, BECAUSE, THOUGH YOU MAY NOT HAVE FUCKING INTENDED IT THAT WAY, WHAT YOU DID JUST NOW WAS SO FUCKING SELFISH!"
Ralph's eyes flew open widely and he exclaimed: "SELFISH?! Aleu, what are you talking about? I saved you and, besides how I don't know what you mean when you say that something hit my mind, we both know that I would have saved Kodi if there was enough time, just like the others here do!"
"OF COURSE YOU WOULD HAVE!" wailed Aleu. "BUT THERE WAS ONLY TIME FOR ONE OF US, AND YOU PICKED THE FUCKING ONE OF US WHO'D BOTH BEEN ABSENT FOR SO LONG AND WAS PAPA'S SINGULAR DAUGHTER! IT WAS, AFTER ALL, A VERY EMPTY HOLE IN HIM THAT I'D BE GONE, SEEMINGLY FOREVER, THOUGH IT TURNED THE FUCK OUT NOT TO BE SO, BUT STILL, AND HE LOVED HIS SONS, BUT DEEP DOWN WANTED HIS DAUGHTER BACK WITH HIM DESPITE ACCEPTING WHAT WAS TO, AGAIN, APPARENTLY, BUT NOT ACTUALLY, BE THE FUCKING CASE FOR ALL TIME! SO YOU DECIDED THAT YOU WOULD LET ONE OF PAPA'S SONS DIE FOR THE SAKE OF HIS ONE DAUGHTER STAYING ALIVE! SO SELFISHNESS MIGHT NOT HAVE BEEN YOUR INTENT, NOR WHAT YOU THOUGHT YOU WERE PERFORMING AN ACT OF AND, IRONICALLY, DIDN'T REALIZE THAT YOU WERE THINKING IT, BUT IT WAS STILL A MASSIVELY SELFISH THING TO DO, ESPECIALLY SINCE HE WAS TEMPTED BUT DID THE UNSELFISH THING AND TRIED TO SEE IF HE COULD THINK UP A WAY TO SAVE US BOTH, BUT IT DIDN'T MOTHERFUCKING MATTER IN THE FUCKING END, DID IT, RALPH? ALL BECAUSE YOU CUT IT SHORT AND GOT ME OUT OF THIS FOR HIM! AND NOW, DESPITE HOW I WOULD HAVE GIVEN UP MY LIFE SO THAT KODI'S MIGHT CONTINUE, MAKING IT SO THAT THE LAST THINGS THAT I EVER FUCKING SAID WOULD BE HOW I STILL LOVED YOU ALL AND HOW MUCH IT HURT TO HAVE TO DEPART AGAIN AND THIS TIME FOREVER, I HAVE TO FUCKING SPEND THE REST OF MY NOW TARNISHED LIFE KNOWING THAT I WAS THE FUCKING REASON THAT KODI LOST HIS! I'M INCESSANTLY UNABLE TO LIVE WITH MYSELF! AND YOU MADE IT THAT WAY! AGAIN, YOU DIDN'T WANT OR MEAN TO AT ALL, AND I WISH I DIDN'T HAVE TO HATE YOU, BUT, SADLY, BOTH OF THOSE THINGS ARE STILL TRUE! STAY THE FUCK AWAY FROM ME BY AT LEAST FOUR METERS AT ALL FUCKING TIMES! PAPA WON'T BE ANY BETTER OFF THAN ME, AND NEITHER WILL MOM OR MY REMAINING BROTHERS! YOU DID WHAT WOULD HAVE BEEN SELFISH OF HIM BUT INSTEAD WAS SELFISH OF YOU BECAUSE OF ALL OF THAT DESPITE HOW HE TOOK THE ALTRUSTIC, ALBEIT RISKY, ROUTE INSTEAD! DUSTY HAS LOST HER MATE JUST AS MUCH AS I'VE LOST MY BROTHER, TO ADD INSULT TO INJURY! GO TO HELL, YOU SELFISH BASTARD!"
Aleu's tears now flooded everything within two feet of where she was standing, and now, as she could do currently do nothing but cry, Dusty turned to Ralph and said: "LET'S NOT FORGET, JUST LIKE ALEU SAID, HOW YOU TOOK AWAY MY LOVE, AS WELL! ALONG WITH HOW YOU HAVE ALSO, AT TIMES IN THE PAST, SHOWN FEELINGS FOR ME AND MIGHT HAVE ALSO DECIDED TO SAVE ALEU INSTEAD OF KODI AS A RESULT OF THIS! MAYBE I'M WRONG! IT MOST LIKELY WASN'T THE REASON YOUR DECISION TO SAVE ALEU CAME TO MIND AND, ALSO JUST LIKE ALEU SAID, IT COULD HAVE JUST AS EASILY BEEN A DECISION FOR SAVING KODI INSTEAD OF HER! WELL, YOU KNOW THE FUCK WHAT? EITHER WAY ON EITHER COUNT, I SURE AS HELL WILL NEVER BE YOURS, YOU ASSHOLE!NOTHING CAN EVER BRING KODI BACK! HE'S GONE FOREVER, AND IT'S ALL BECAUSE OF YOU! IT MIGHT ONLY BE A PAPER THIN, IF EVEN EXISTENT IN THE SLIGHTEST, POSSIBILITY THAT YOU SECRETLY LONG FOR ME, BUT THIS ALMOST NONEXISTENT POSSIBILITY, AS WELL AS HOW YOU CLEARLY THOUGHT YOU WERE DOING BALTO A FAVOR HERE, BUT INSTEAD MAKING THINGS WORSE FOR HIM WITHOUT KNOWING THAT, SAW TO THIS! NONE OF US CAN BELIEVE YOUR OVERSIZED ASS!"
Ralph couldn't bear to look at anyone just now, as the already excruciating realization of what he didn't think was true at all before, previously not knowing that what he did was the selfish decision when he saved Aleu, and made things worse for Balto, Jenna, Dingo and the other members of Aleu's family instead of better in the process, hit him so hard in terms of making it worse that it can't be described in the slightest/least bit, especially given how he was unable to tell whether it had anything to do with feelings he showed for Dusty from time to time or not.
That, and don't think that Niju was the least bit silent or anything short of intensely vocal about this.
Because, as he went over and ignored the puddles of already shed tears he stepped in and did all that he could to comfort/console the loudly crying Aleu, he looked at Ralph and began barking in a deep and terrible rage: "LET'S NOT FUCKING FORGET THAT I CAN'T BE HAPPY WITH HAVING ALEU AS MY MATE LIKE I FUCKING WAS BEFORE ANY LONGER, NOR VICE VERSA, BECAUSE THE FUCKING KNOWLEDGE THAT DUSTY HAS NO MATE ANY LONGER, IN STARK CONTRAST TO HOW I DO, IS GOING TO FUCKING RIP AT ME ON THE INSIDE FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE, JUST LIKE IT'LL DO TO POOR ALEU HERE, WHO I CAN ONLY TRY AND COMFORT TO THE FUCKING EXTENT I CAN, AND CHANCES ARE THAT ISN'T A WHOLE LOT OF A FUCKING EXTENT!"
Now he burst into tears, and was going to soon after Kodi's death, much like all others present who weren't Steele or his owners were, and they did so, as well, with Steele then saying to them: "Ah, how your crying is music to my ears! And that of my owner, as well! I do believe I'll lap up all of the tears from each of you as a post-victory drink and part of a post-victory celebration for both my owner and myself!"
But Steele had just said exactly the wrong thing at exactly the wrong time, which he realized all of a sudden along with his master when, immediately after he said this, he saw Ralph charging towards him in the most livid fury he'd ever been in, while Balto ran at the hunter, who was just as surprised as Steele was while seeing Ralph coming for him.
Tackling Steele, Ralph said: "Balto beat you before! And now that I've made things hurt worse for him despite how the opposite was my intent and, ironically, there was just as much of a chance that I could have decided to save Kodi instead of Aleu, I'm making them hurt for you worst of all!"
Steele fought back, of course, with it being that they were both inflicting claw, tooth and paw smack injuries on each other, as well as strangling and wrestling one another hard, and, every chance he saw, one of them slamming into each other to knock the other down.
At first, anyway, during which time Steele was saying: "Be so fucking good as to fucking tell me, Ralph…isn't it unbelievable that you would follow in Kodi's footsteps by fighting me when I was part of what caused you to kill him by sudden freak chance? And ironic as hell that, if you'd chosen to save Kodi instead of Aleu, everyone would still hate you, especially Niju and Balto, despite your good intentions as far as the latter was fucking concerned?" he was overpowered by Ralph, since Steele had been evenly matched with Kodi, and Ralph was noticeably bigger and stronger than Kodi was.
So during the time Steele let loose some evil laughter, it went as follows: "Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, haAAAAAAAAAAARRRRGGGGHHHHH!"
Ralph now had him dead to rights, saying: "I now avenge Kodi in the ultimate irony, as it was me who caused his death despite not wanting to do that or be the cause of Aleu's death at all, and I certainly didn't want to motherfucking make things worse, which I sadly did, and so I now kill someone who's made things infinitely worse in two instances concerning two different things, this one being the second, to atone for that and show how much I will do to further atone for it if that is possible! That Kodi wanted Aleu to live and selflessly told us to save her and let him die only compounds all of this and adds to the fucking irony! Go to hell, Steele!"
During this time of viciously saying what he did, Ralph was breaking every bone in Steele's body and tearing into his balls, the tip of his cock and vertically down there and his throat, as well, plus he was eviscerating him and smashing his head on the ground repeatedly, with Steele being unable and indeed helpless to do anything but howl out in total agony: "EEEEEEEEEEEEE-RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
After Ralph's claws and teeth had done their jobs, Steele's screams were silenced as he was now a casserole-like corpse, and Ralph smiled despite how he was still in a lot of pain, to some extent now physically but still much more emotionally and mentally, namely, just as much as he'd been in before for obvious reasons.
"This was for you, Kodi." Ralph said, looking up to the sky as he did so. "I know that you wanted Aleu to live and so are undoubtedly glad I saved her as you selflessly made it clear that she was the one who needed to be saved, despite it being vice versa in that case, as well, and this was also for Balto, the way that I wanted to make things better for him but ended up failing as miserably as making them worse. The way that such freak chance would happen as this…sigh…but if you die, Steele dies, and he just has. That he was your dad's rival before and after he showed up here and tried to kill him decades back only adds to such a fact. I only hope that this makes your sacrifice feel better than it did before. I can hear your aforementioned father taking on that hunter. Hopefully said hunter gets his via a nasty death like Steele just did. Words can't describe how sorry and remorseful I'll forever be for making it so that you lost your life, though, and, quite frankly, I wish that I were dead, too. At least I did us both a vast favor, although it was supposed to be much more of one for you than for me, so I hope it was exactly that. Please forgive me if you can."
Meanwhile, and at the same time as Ralph's fight with Steele, what Ralph could hear was indeed occurring, as Balto snarled at the hunter who had made Steele his pet: "Way back when, you almost killed my only daughter, Aleu, but I saved her by fending you off. Much more recently, as I could tell by how you looked when you and Steele showed up to inform us of all of this, she took you down without needing anyone's aid, mine or otherwise. That Steele looked like he'd been fought in an even as hell match with my son confirmed that easily, given how his signs of battle looked a lot like yours, And now you've killed that one of my sons, thanks to how Ralph suddenly made the choice of saving her, something which son's pleads, were, ironically, aimed towards. Now you pay for what you've done to my family. I'm usually not a guy who enjoys any kind of violence, let alone the kind I'm about to unleash upon your ass, but I am unable not to make an exception in your case, especially since I hear Ralph making Steele pay for what you and him have caused, just like I'm about to make you pay for that."
"Big talk, bigmouth." the hunter sneered in response. "But here are two much smaller but also much more powerful mouths for you. Very lethal. And about to make you, in the ultimate irony of ironies, join the one of your sons who you speak of."
Just as he had his gun in position though, he didn't even have time to blink, as Balto had run right the fuck up to him and drove into him so hard that he knocked the wind right out of him, and while the hunter dropped his gun, it was in a way so that he unintentionally blew his guts out of the top of his head thanks to the trigger being pulled when its mouths were pointed at his asshole in yet another instance of freak chance.
So many of those there had been, and this latest one of them sealed the hunter's fate along with Balto's attack, especially since the trigger that his, well, trigger finger had been caught on repeatedly pulled that trigger due to what kind of position he and his gun were in, and by the time it was out of bullets, both his brains and his guts had been blown out, with Balto then ripping him in half with his claws at the same time as biting his head off.
"ARRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" the hunter screamed during it all, and once his screams and any and all other sounds that he might have made otherwise were eternally put a stop to, his pieces and now empty gun alike fell down onto the ground.
Balto subsequently said, looking up to the sky just like Ralph had after killing Steele: "That was for Kodi, and, although to a much lesser, to the point of being all but nonexistent, extent, Ralph, given that the latter wanted to make things better for me despite making them worse and could have chosen Kodi as the one who lived every bit as easily as he could have chosen Aleu like he did, his decision to save the latter being so sudden and abrupt and how he's so sorry and agonized about causing Kodi to die, which, ironically, he would have been if he caused Aleu to die, instead, probably for the rest of his life. I almost pity him. Almost, though if you are able to, please forgive him. I have avenged you, Kodi. This hunter would not stay alive while you were dead, and indeed he is dead. I am rarely like this and, in fact, almost always much nicer than this, but it was inevitably going to be an exception after what that hunter did to you and what it resulted in. But now it's over, just like his sorry, wretched life is, and, from what I can hear just now, Ralph has taken Steele out permanently, as well, just like I, even if without killing him, defeated him in battle decades ago, so Kodi's been avenged both by his immediate family and his once-friend, now sem-friend. And in a way most fitting on Ralph's part and my own. I rarely speak like I'm about to, but…go to hell, you bastard. And while you watch from heaven, Kodi, I know you see that your old man has made sure of it that this vile son of a bitch will never threaten anything or anyone again. God rest your soul. I will miss you terribly, but you will always be in my heart and that of all the rest of us, especially Jenna, Dingo and Aleu, the latter of whom you selflessly saved, just like she would have done for you despite how you and the rest of us would have missed her so every bit as much. You'll never be forgotten and the ones who led to your death have paid the price."
After it was all done, all of the other canines who were there congratulated Balto and Ralph for what they'd done and what the hell it meant, though the former infinitely more so for obviously reasons, something which Ralph sucked up and dealt with.
Once the commendation was done, Niju said: "Let's give a howling requiem for Kodi and then find a means to give him a proper burial in the part of Nome in which he and the bulk of us lived prior to our being frozen."
It was unanimously agreed to and all of the canines did just that, making sure that they had Kodi's body put in the center of the circle that they formed before they let that howling requiem loose.
As soon as they were finished, Aleu said: "Okay, guys, time to take Kodi home and see him buried in the best way in the most appropriate spot. Put him on my back so that I can carry his body. I owe him my life despite how I wish that were not so and indeed was the other way around, since I would have happily sacrificed myself if it meant my brother would live."
She glared and growled at Ralph, who, again, sucked it up and dealt with it, and it was Jenna who, with the help of Niju, hoisted up Kodi's corpse and placed it on Aleu's back, with Balto then saying: "All right, let's go to the new version of our home and see to it that we are accepted as resident, albeit pet canine ones, there by God knows what human replacements live there now, and that they give us a spot to bury Kodi's now tragically lifeless body."
As soon as they had gotten there, they were lucky enough so that, by that point, every human and animal alike present had learned all about their arrival from being frozen, so they would be accepted as dogs and wolves who lived there, but despite their initially friendly and happy greetings, they then saw Kodi's corpse and the hole in his head, realizing what had to have happened at one point or another by one awful bastard or another, and they led them to the best place to bury Kodi's corpse that they could find.
Once it was time to give Kodi his final resting spot, Jenna said: "Okay, Aleu, when Dingo and myself dig up the hole for Kodi's grave, just bend over and let it slide in. After that, Kirby and Dusty will push the dirt back in."
Everyone nodded, and as soon as everything had been done, Kodi's body was buried in his, albeit sans tombstone, grave, and Nava said: "Let's all put in a final word for him before we leave."
Unanimous agreement ensued once more, and Balto said: "I will never forget or stop missing you, my son. You were an integral part of our family, and it will never be the same or feel complete without you. There is an everlasting hole and indeed something permanently missing from now on thanks to your death, which, ironically, would have been the case on exactly the same level on all counts of it had been Aleu who died instead of you. Your altruism is something you should be given kudos for, and we would do just that if we weren't so saddened and torn open by how you got killed thanks to that selflessness which led to your life being given for Aleu's."
Next, Jenna said: "The same goes for me, Kodi. And the rest of us, as well. You were a beloved addition to my litter. Even as I love Dingo, Aleu and Balto just as much as I love you, it doesn't decrease how torturous it is to know that I will be without you forever, though not in every single way, since I refuse to forget you and will never always have your spirit alongside my own and vice versa."
Aleu followed it up with: "I thank you for saving my life, but I still wish I could have given mine for yours. I'm going to be so sad without you here, dear brother. I don't know how I'm going to get by, and though I will somehow, it's not going to be the least bit easy. Just like it's not going to be anything short of arduous living a life that you sacrificed yours for, even with comfort from my family and mate alike. Goodbye, Kodi. God bless your selfless soul."
After that, there was Dingo, who told him: "Rest in peace, bro. You'll always be in our memories and hearts alike. I will miss you to a point that no one could possibly picture existing at all, nor could I until now, but at least it shows that, just like is the case with Aleu, you will always be my brother."
Next up, Nava stated: "Despite how I am in my final years of life, I wish that I could be the dead one for that reason and all others I have along with the rest of the ones here and not you. But you'll be remembered with much respect."
Kirby would go afterwards: "You were a great leader of our sled team, Kodi. Whoever takes your spot thanks to that being a necessity, he or she could never compare to you as that leader, not even your salvaged sister who you sacrificed yourself for."
After Kirby, Niju said to Kodi: "While I will still always love Aleu and be grateful you gave your life for her own thanks to being unable to help but be, it still hurts like hell to know that it cost you your life and what that will mean for her and myself. I wish you didn't have to give your life at all instead of us finding a way to save you both."
This was succeeded by Ralph saying: "Words can't describe how profusely I apologize for how I freaked and saved Aleu while wanting and failing to make things better for your father, thereby giving you a death sentence, even though that was the last thing I wanted to do to either of you. I'll understand if you never forgive my idiotic, thoughtless foolishness, though I hope you will."
Finally, Dusty said to him: "Kodi, I will not pretend I don't want you back, but I know that bringing you back to life would be disrespectful, and I will not disrespect the one who was my mate while alive. Not anyone who's a friend and/or family member would I ever show such disrespect to, but least of all you, love. Do not think that I won't always keep your memory with me in every spot that I can. The others will, and so will I, but I will do so more than any of them."
While shedding tears once more, they gave another howling requiem for him and, just thereafter, saw a pile of rocks and got an idea, quickly capitalizing on it and making it so that they placed rock after rock firmly enough into the part of the ground where Kodi had been buried so that none could be dislodged no matter what would happen in the future, and of course it was done in a way so that it would form into and indeed spell out Kodi's name.
While they then were in a good enough, happy enough(at least to as far as an extent as it was possible for any and every one of them to be happy, anyway)lifestyle as pets and/or sled dogs for the citizens living in that new version of which part of Nome was Balto, Jenna, Dusty, Ralph, Kirby and, until he died, Kodi's home, with Aleu, Nava and Niju now having it as their home, as well(though Aleu briefly had it as her home before), there would always be something missing in each one of them, and they did what they could to ignore it, all while the ones who they were most frequently alongside, human or otherwise, who knew about what happened to Kodi comforted them as often as possible and as much as possible, invariably causing the sad, empty feeling to go away for a little while after such things were done for them.
Needless to say, this was the best kind of new life that they could have gotten after all that had occurred, and it did at least help in terms of things concerning Kodi with their knowledge of how he was in heaven, while his diabolical duo of killers were in hell.
One day, Ralph was near his home, seeing Dusty come on over to him, much to his surprise. "Dusty?" he asked.
"Yes, Ralph." she replied. "It's been quite some time since, despite Aleu and I allowing you to at least be near us as part of sled dog team which she's become the leader of in Kodi's place, thanks to it being a necessity and you doing all you could to show how sorry you were for what happened to Kodi and paying him respects aplenty, still didn't want you to speak to us unless it was absolutely necessary, and we made it clear that it would be that way for, at the very least, a while."
"And, from what you're doing and saying now, I'm guessing that while's up." Ralph said.
Dusty then told him: "For the most part, yes, though there will, for a shorter, but still noticeably long amount of time, be far between points here and there where we will disallow you to converse with either one of us, and we'll make sure you know at once when any such time comes, whether it is Aleu, myself or us both. Currently, however, it's obviously not one of those times, and you'll be quite surprised when you find out why I came to see you."
"Why's that?" Ralph asked, to which Dusty replied: "You had some feelings for me despite how I was fully committed to Kodi and vice versa until he lost his life thanks to your recklessness, even though it was you freaking out when we were suddenly, well, out of time during the cruel choice that the thankfully now dead and in hell Steele and his monstrous hunter of an owner presented us with, and not a way to get me for yourself."
"Wait a minute…you're not suggesting I become his replacement for your mate, are you?" exclaimed Ralph. "Please tell me you're not. That just isn't right."
"Of course not, on both counts." Dusty told him. "I am, however, thanks to how you made it clear that you didn't want to kill Kodi or Aleu and weren't choosing to get rid of the former in order for me to be your mate instead of his, and it's proven itself to be absolutely true overtime with how things have gone on, whether it directly concerns you and/or me or otherwise, plus Aleu and Niju being together has incessantly torn at us both for every reason that it can, even though neither wants that, their having what happiness they can as part of their unending love for each other notwithstanding, going to give you this."
She subsequently licked Ralph's face, much to his alarm, and told him: "That ought to polish off anything and everything as far as what feelings you had for me, which you were good to ignore because of knowing that I was just as happy with Kodi as he was with me when Kodi was alive, and how you die inside whenever you see Aleu and vice versa thanks to how she's only alive because of your sudden freaking out and what it led to. So you deserved at least that. Do not, however, try to show your gratitude by licking me. You're thankful, to be sure, but the way that you said becoming my new mate wasn't right? Well, licking me back wouldn't be right, either."
"I fully understand what you are saying on all counts, and thank you for the lick that I can now keep with me forever, though I will do everything I can to ignore the fact that it was how Kodi died because of me that led to it, another thing I do done out of respect for how he was your chosen mate and not me, with or without me having some feelings for you."
"You're quite welcome, and my thanks to you on the latter count. As well as how much solemn respect you've shown Kodi posthumously. See you around, Ralph." said Dusty before departing, while Ralph said: "See you around, Dusty."
Things fluctuated between getting and/or feeling better and staying the same as they were, but any and all who had known Kodi knew that he would always be watching over them, especially his family, as well as Dusty, and, though Ralph was watched over less than the others because of what had happened as the next of the freak chances at the time, Kodi did forgive him and was, ironically, actually grateful that he saved his sister's life even though it cost him his own and he'd wished, like the others, that there was a way that neither he nor Aleu had to die, the way that it was good to know that Steele and his malevolent master getting what for and put in hell notwithstanding.
And, of course, there were times aplenty in which one or more of Kodi's closest ones, but most frequently one or more of his family members and/or Dusty, of course, would go to the burial site which they formed for him, and look up to heaven, whether they also spoke and/or howled to and towards him or not(they never failed to shed tears for him, but they felt his spiritual essence comfort them every time it happened).
THE SIMUTANEOUSLY HAPPY AND SAD ENDING
Well, that's that, everybody!
I do hope that both this chapter and the one before were a good enough read, and now I hope for reviews and ratings, please!
Sorry that the ending had to be only half happy and inevitably was going to be half-sad, but I hope that I made things as good for said ending as I could.
As you can probably tell, I was making sure to respect Kodi/Dusty fans(which I'm one of myself, btw)and at least acknowledge and be fair to Ralph/Dusty fans despite how they are far fewer with how I made the bulk of the ending.
Ironic, since I'm an even bigger fan of Niju/Aleu(especially since the latter is my favorite Balto trilogy character), but you get the point here.
Happy Halloween, everyone!
