He registered cold, he didn't care but he pushed at it anyways, he didn't know why. Must have been some primal instinctive will to live. One hand came free, then another then his head poked out. He used his arms to pull his body out of the snow, he was free. He tried to get up, it didn't work. His body was drained of all energy over the past few days and never before had he felt so weak. So he laid there in the snow.
He looked up and he realized it didn't matter now, he had nowhere to go anytime soon. Various medicines were scattered all around him broken bottles here and there, all wasted even if some antitoxin survived it wouldn't matter, and it wouldn't be enough to go around. Beside the cliff still remained, and even if he made it up the cliff his snow mobile was low on gasoline and Kaltags sled had the spare fuel, no doubt the cut him off and left to save their own skins, and even if by some miracle he were to walk the last 50 mile to Nome it would only be too late. He didn't care what the town would think of him or even Jenna anymore for that matter. Little Rosie was going to die because he made one too many mistakes. He was a failure
And so Balto resigned his fate, he no longer cared if he lived or died. He wept softly and sorrowfully and he began praying to any god or spirit who was willing to listen, take his life instead of hers, give her his chances of survival to her and hers his, he had nothing more to look forward to except Boris Muk and Luk and a maybe a sorrowful Jenna. Her life had greater meaning than his in his own opinion.
But he lived, and he realized it. He would cry or curse in ordinary circumstances but he was just too tired to do anything, he willed his mind to shut down and stop, but before it could his mind registered a pair of seal skin Muk Luks in front of him.
He looked up to see an older native woman dressed in skins with a killing lance in one arm. She looked up and down at him and the look on her face was clear 'get up'
Not in the mood for the mystery woman he turned away to avoid her gaze and he felt he presence leave him he looked up for a second to see the sled laying upside down half buried in snow, a small crate, a box really labeled 'antitoxin was laying neatly beside it intact. He looked up at the cliff looming overhead, it was at least 300 feet high, how did it survive? How did HE survive? Then Boris's word rang through his head.
"Let me tell you something Balto, no white man can make this journey alone, but maybe an Inuit can."
He turned to see the tracks she left, they were a plain soft oval, no marks to distinguish a brand of boot or shoe just like him he forced himself onto his feet and placed his foot inside the hole. It was a perfect fit, he realized that the way he dressed in skins and Muk Luks he probably resembled her, he was an Inuit and after years of bottling up that fact and trying to ignore it he now let that fact race through his mind for the first time in years
And for the first time in years he felt complete inside and out.
Something within him started to boil, then it started to roil inside him first he felt himself warming up, then he felt hot, it was as if his heart used to be a candle inside him but now it turned into a bon fire that burned white hot. He felt energized, like he could run a marathon. It was starting to be too much, his mind was pumping too much adrenaline, he felt like he was going to explode, he faintly noticed he was growling softly, he knew what he had to do, and he let it out.
And out it came, like a warrior and his war cry of old he howled at the heavens, he roared at the gods and the spirits, he challenged all thoughts who were willing to stop him. It was primal, it was feral, it was raw, it was dangerous, and it was not to be messed with.
A/N: thank you reviewers for helping me get off my ass and getting back to work, hope you enjoy and please review, update on Monday