Chapter 7: The Maze

The sled bumped up and down as Balto and his team made their way over another of the many mountain passes they would have to work through on this leg of the race. Thankfully, this one did not have the optional death-drop attached, but that doesn't mean it was fun. Fresh snow had fallen and the team sank in a good ten inches with each step. To a human that is no big deal, but when you only stand 28 or so inches tall, it's a different story.

"Now I know how a bulldozer feels." Kodi said

"Ah, a little snow never killed ya." Ralph said behind him. "Besides, it could be worse." The wind picked up and the snow began to blow harder, a tree fell down in front of in front of the team, blocking the way ahead.

"Hey Ralph, do us all a favor, never say that again." Kirby frustratedly spat out. The tree was large but the team managed to work their way over it. Balto stepped on a thin branch and bent it down. When he took his foot of the bent-over branch, it whipped back and smacked poor Kodi on the nose.

"Whew! That is one way to clear the sinuses." Kodi said in a naizily voice.

"Sorry, you ok kiddo?" Balto saw a tiny drop of blood drip out of his nose and fall onto the snow, staining it red.

"I'll live." He had some pain coming from his nose, but the cold numbed the pain. The snow continued to fall and the team continued to soldier on I spite of it. The top of the mountain came up and they saw mile after mile of sheer wilderness ahead, overwhelming expanse or no, they had a race to win. The team climbed over and down. Balto saw a fork in the road, one path leading into a mountain trail and the other into the forest.

"Hey guys, last chance to change your minds about that route through the mountains." Balto said hoping for a sudden change of heart. Everyone just remained silent. And Dusty gave him the same look Kodi earned last night.

"I'll take that as a no." he said. He turned right and into the relentless Taiga forests of Canada's northern territory. The terrain was rocky and the forest was thick. Duke's map got them through the day and they zipped through the winding paths and before they knew it the sun was going down. Balto looked back and saw that they had only made it a few miles from the mountain pass that led them into the forest.

"This is going to take a while." Balto mumbled to himself. Duke lit a fire and the team curled up together to keep warm. A cold wind blew through the forest, Kirby let out a shiver.

"I think a real nasty blizzard is on the way folks."

"What makes you say that?" Kodi asked his friend.

"I just have a feeling." Kirby said anticipating a long night ahead. Just as Kirby predicted, a blizzard came in and the wind and snow buffeted the dogs. No matter how close they curled and huddled together, they were still chilled to the bone. So much so that Balto saw ice appearing on his whiskers. He looked at his team and he could swear they were turning into ice sculptures. He looked over his shoulder at the small tent in which Duke resided.

"Guys we can't stay out here, we're going to freeze." he concluded.

"I k-n-now, I hop-pe you ha-ve a p-p-plan." Ralph said though his chattering teeth.

"Come on." he trudged over to Duke's tent. Balto pawed the tent and the zipper dropped down, Duke poked his head out.

"What's wrong?" Duke asked. The team answered his question by charging into the tent. One by one they jumped in until only Dusty had yet entered.

"Dusty come on." Kodi said. "It's warmer in here." Dusty hesitated. "Oh man, you still aren't mad about that thing I said back in town are you?"

"No I'm not mad at you. It's just put Duke put a lot of beans in our dinner. I just have a feeling this is not going to be pleasant. But if the choices are stink or freeze." Behind her the fire died. "I'll take stink." She climbed in. The tent billowed out with the combined mass of all six of them until it looked like a balloon the carnival clown over filled. Inside it was quite cozy and warm from all of their combined body heat, the wind was also considering mitigated. The only bad side was that Balto felt someone's paw on his head and it was like he was in a printing press. The good news was however they might actually get some sleep. Balto could not wait for the sun to come up and the blizzard to end. The morning came but not after a long night. Because they were so far north in the winter, the nights persisted for a much longer portion of the day.

"Man alive, I feel like a board." Duke grumbled as he awoke. He opened the tent and all six crawled out. They spent a half hour stretching out all of the stiffness. The sun had barely risen above the horizon, despite the time being nearly nine o'clock

"Best get used to the long cold nights. Once we get to the pole it will be perpetual night up there." Balto said

"Great, sounds terrific." Kodi said. The team started out for the day and just like the last, they found themselves transversing the wild and confusing terrain, relying on the map to guide them. The team soldiered on and came to yet another fork in the trail. Duke took a look at his map it said to take the left trail. They ran into the left trail but soon Balto saw familiar terrain and then the fork in the trail came back into view.

"What in the world?" Duke was beside himself.

"Uh, Balto is it just me or have we been here before?" Ralph asked. Balto stopped his team while Duke scratched his head looking at the map.

"Sorry guys I double checked the map, it definitely says to go left." Duke didn't know what to do.

"I feel like I am running around in a rat maze." Dusty complained.

"This is why I wanted to take the other route." Balto said to himself. As he sat down in the snow disheartened, above them a black raven flew overhead. Flying over the right trail and landing on the branch of a tree.

"Let's go." Balto said, getting back up.

"Go where? The left trail takes us in a circle." Kodi said, discouraged.

"So then we go right." Balto stated. They really had no choice, the team took other trail. Instead of a circle, this trail lead on, twisting and curving around the forest like a snake. Balto fallowed the raven, mimicking its movements, if the raven went left, he followed; and vice versa. Even if the map disagreed, Balto ignored Duke's yelling and complaining. They followed the jet black bird through the maze that was the Taiga forest and soon found themselves on a much larger trail. Then for no reason the raven stopped, landed on a branch and didn't move. Ahead was a large clearing with the trail resuming on the other side. Balto waited for the raven to do something but it just sat motionless, occasionally crowing.

"Balto, what are we waiting for, the spring thaw?" Kirby chastised.

"I think we shouldn't go just yet, I've got a bad feeling about this clearing."

"Says the dog getting his directions from feather-brain up there"

"But-"

"Oh come on already. Let's go." Kirby was tired of waiting. "We have been in here running for two and a half days now. There has to be an ending somewhere. The rest of the trail is right over there."

"I'm going to regret this." Balto said walking forward, the rest the team did the same. The raven flew off its perch and flew over them in a circle, crowing away.

"See, nothing to worry about. And as far as I am concerned, feather-brain up there could kindly button his beak."Kirby said. As the team reached halfway through the clearing, Balto heard a sound.

"Hey did you hear that?" he asked.

"Hear what?" Ralph asked wondering what had Balto so worried. "All I hear is feather-brain up there." He said, mimicking Kirby. The team continued forward. Balto heard the sound again, this time much closer and all around them.

"This better not be what I think it is." He said digging into the snow; he soon hit something rock hard and freezing cold. He now recognized the sound, it was the ice cracking.

"Where on a frozen lake! The ice is cracking! Run for shore!" as he said this more ice began to crack underneath them. They ran for it, the running only accelerated the cracking and soon whole pieces of the lake broke away from them. The ice in front of them cracked and then the ice behind them, soon they found themselves afloat on their own miniature iceberg.

"Come on, stick a paw in the water and paddle!" Balto said, setting a precedent doing it himself, the water was cold but this was a better alternative to swimming. The rest of the Dogs did so and their iceberg set a course for the safety if the shore. A large piece of ice cracked and broke off, Ralph nearly fell and Kodi caught him at the last possible moment.

"Thanks buddy, I owe you one." Ralph went back to paddling in the frigid water. The trees came closer and the impacts began to lessen.

"Keep going! We're almost there!" Balto yelled, the team continued to paddle, even Duke was kicking over the rear. Balto stuck his leg back in and this time, he hit mud. They had made it across the lake at last! They jumped off the iceberg as it began to split in half. Duke looked behind him and saw their iceberg was now in two halves and drifting apart.

"That was too close." The team started back off on the trail.

"Hey Kirby, from now on I'm gonna listen to 'feather-brain'." Balto said indignantly. Soon the raven lead them out of the forest and back onto the main trail. It flew around an outcropping and the team followed, by the time they turned, the raven was gone.

"Okay, hey, Balto what happens when feather-brain ditches us in the middle of the bloody woods!" Kirby yelled.

"What's this?" Duke asked himself. They saw a sign covered over with snow. Duke dismounted his sled and walked over to the sign. He scraped off the snow on it and it read

ALKLAVIK 52 KM

Balto looked at his team; they all had relieved smiles on thier faces, except Kirby who had a dumb look on his face. The raven flapped overhead, flew down and landed on Kirby's head.

"Now what, gloating?" The raven pecked his nose. "Oww! Ok, I'm sorry." After Kirby's apology the bird took off back into the woods.

"Looks like we found our way out of your rat maze Dusty." Balto said with confidence.

"Yeah, I guess so. But from now on can we avoid the freezing lakes. I like a swim as much as the next girl, but I like the water to a point where hypothermia doesn't set in." The team arrived in Alklavik to another cheering crowd and another warm hotel. Balto found a place on the rug and thought he'd take a cat-nap until supper. As he closed his eyes, Kodi burst through the doorway.

"Dad! Dad! They beat us!" Kodi exclaimed

"What are you talking about? Who beat us?" Balto asked no longer interested in a nap.

"The British and those Russians, they beat us here! I saw their sleds outside and just walked past their rooms, it looks like they have been here a while."

"What?" Balto was speechless.

"They could have passed us while we were stumbling around in the forest." Dusty offered.

"No, we would have seen them right?" Ralph said." Or at least heard them."

"There is more than one way to get here ya know." Balto said, now wishing the race officials just made one rout available to them. "It looks like we will just have to make up for lost time tomorrow."

"Great now they are starting who knows how long before us. That will give them a serious advantage." Dusty finished.

"I've got some more good news for you. This is the last real town we'll see for the rest of the race. That means this is the last hotel we will have so get some grub and rest while you can." Balto hated to bring them down like that, but at least they can make the best of it while they can.