Hello, Constant Readers. Yes, your eyes do not deceive you; below is the beginning of the chapter you've all waited so patiently for…I just hope I live up to all of your expectations! Read and enjoy! I command it! (LoL)

Chapter 10
The Lovers

After thanking her mother once more for all her guidance, Dusty gingerly slipped out the way she had come, treading lightly on sturdy paws made tender by all this unaccustomed movement she was subjecting her injured body to. After successfully skirting that treacherous ice patch again, she began to move as fast as her leg would allow, following her nose as best she could in the numbing cold, searching for any indication that her Love was nearby. Needless to say, in her present state, she was unable to go anywhere near the break-neck speed she would've preferred and had to be content with traveling at a brisk trot. Though she was going at a pretty decent pace considering the state of her exhausted body, she had to restrain herself from trying to execute a little jig of frustration as she passed the General's Store almost ten minutes later.

'At the rate I'm going, I'll be lucky if I can get to him before the Spring Thaw….' She thought moodily. Being unable to vent her irritation upon her own body, she contented herself with a few choice curses directed towards the despicable mongrels who were now responsible for keeping her from finding her one chance at true happiness. A low whine escaped her and she felt her lower lip begin to tremble as the pain in her hind leg decided to make its voice heard once more. She grimaced with every step and was soon limping quite badly, and only just managed to keep her paws moving; lying by the warm fire next to her mother had done wonders for the afflicted limb, drowning the pain in its soothing heat. Now, however, with only the cold to keep her company and no real idea of how much headway she was making in her quest to find Kodi, the pain was back to trouble her once more…only this time it seemed, it had decided to extend its stay.

Fifteen minutes later, despite how much she wanted to keep going, her screaming leg finally won out. The limb abruptly gave out and she had no choice but to fall forward into the powdery fluff, yelping in pain and surprise. Behind her, the leg burned and ached, sending bolts of pain blasting into her head, seeming to scramble her brains. She screwed her eyes shut against its steady onslaught, willing herself to retain consciousness. She would not pass out again, be damned if she would!

Brow contracting in a mixture of pain and ironclad determination, she forced her tired, burning body to move. Her need to find Kodi blotted out her agonized limb and, with a titanic heave, she was able to lift herself up once again. Panting with effort, she managed to cajole her trembling paws to propel her forward, though she was now all but staggering. Her breath came in ragged gasps as she trudged wearily through the snow with her nose low to the ground as she went in search of her lover….

'Kodi…I'm coming to you…'. She thought and managed a smile, even through her pain.

If finding Kodi meant she had to break herself in the process…well, that was just how the cookie crumbled….

((()-()))

Unlike his dearly beloved, our canine friend Kodi was most certainly not waylaid by the slowly diminishing wounds suffered in a back alley beating. No, his were of a different sort altogether, if you can dig it. When he had started out from the Old Trawler not five minutes ago, Kodi had been totally focused, sprinting as though the devil himself were nipping at his furry heels, hurtling snow drifts in a single bound. Though his spirit was strong and his love and desire to see Dusty, to feel her, to taste of her was an inferno blazing within his chest, his body was another matter entirely.

Unfortunately, though he wished to run with all the god-given speed and talent at his disposal, he was only just now discovering the toll his latest mail run had taken on his young body; when you completed a run that was supposed to take a full seven days in only three, your muscles tended to get a little sore. And, as Kodi himself was now coming to realize firsthand, a 'little sore' in this case meant that it felt as though your legs were broken in a dozen different places and it hurt to move with any degree of quickness.

Still it would take much more than physical pain to call a halt to his mission of love and so he plodded on and on, panting and gasping all the way. His brow contracted and his breath whistled through clenched teeth as the assault on his agonized limbs continued, its ferocity seeming to increase rather than lessen, not matter how many rest stops he was forced to make…and he was forced to make more than a few, much to his displeasure.

Finally, though he yearned to simply ignore his aching muscles and continue his search, the fire in his legs demanded to be doused in the cooling snow and so, he regrettably came to a halt and collapsed in the fluffy powder. Tremors of pleasure rippled across his furry body as the blessedly cold snow temporarily soothed his exhausted body. 'If this keeps up, I won't even be able to move by the time I find her…' he though dismally. Come to think of it…how long had he been at this anyway? Good question. He turned his brown eyes skyward, trying to read the shadows and slow his racing heart. At first, he simply couldn't believe what his eyes were telling him…

'That's…that's impossible!' Four o'clock? Already?

He stared fixedly at the slowly lengthening shadows, struggling to find any fault or trick in the light that had caused this miscalculation. It just couldn't be, just couldn't! Surely…surely he hadn't been at this for the last three hours? He would've found her by now, he was sure of it! Yet his biological clock told him that his reading was indeed correct…. There could be no denying it…. He just wasn't moving fast enough, that was all. Yes, that was it, all he had to do was…pick up the pace.

Kodi was helpless to suppress a dry snort; easier said than done…and at the rate his body was wearing down, he didn't even know if he'd be able to make it off the ground when he decided to continue. And, he realized, here was something more; even assuming he could somehow force his worn-out legs to support him again, he still had a ways to go. If it had taken him this long to reach the alley running behind the hospital…then he would be lucky to reach his Master's home by late afternoon, if he could even keep up this pace that was. He had hours of pain ahead of him, two at the very least.

"Ah…shit…." He growled, despair beginning to creep into his heart, darkening the usually bright light of his steadfast spirit. He almost never cursed as a rule – he believed vulgarity to be the language of ignorant mutts – but he just couldn't help it this time! He'd been through so much already and now…now he didn't even know if he walk, let alone make it all the way back home to Dusty!

Frustration and loneliness boiled up within him and he cursed again, hating to do it but unable to find any other available means through which to relieve himself. Desperate, needing someone, something, anything to place the blame on, his fevered mind settled on Forest. He felt a growl rise to his throat at the very thought of the bad-tempered brute. If only Dusty hadn't gotten beaten up then he wouldn't have…

He cut the thought off sharply, refusing to go any further. It was not the fault of no one that she had been beaten the way she had, least of all her own. He wouldn't allow himself to become so disillusioned…. He sighed heavily as he took stock of his weary muscles and tried to judge whether or not to push on…. He moved his hind leg experimentally, testing its strength. It felt a little better…but was it good enough? Could he trust it to bear his weight again? Maybe he should lie here for a little while longer, just to wait and see. It never hurt to be too careful after all….

He mulled this over and then shook his head, deciding the time had come. 'Oh, the hell with it! If I don't get going now, I never will,' he mentally snarled and, growling with the effort, he managed to cajoled his body to stand and begin to move once more…though, in truth, he honestly didn't know how much longer he would be able to go on in his state; he was not stupid. He knew that his body had its limits and, if pushed to hard or too far past those limits, he risked the possibility of a serious injury….

He gave his head another brisk shake. Damn the consequences! All that mattered now was getting to Dusty, to his one true love! If he could do that, if he could tell her how he felt, he would gladly bear any injury sustained in the journey! It would be well worth it! It…

This mental spiel trailed off as he caught a scent…a very familiar scent. His heart seemed almost to implode upon itself as he recognized the aroma of Wild Roses and sweet Vanilla that was moving somewhere up ahead. It was an undeniably slow gait but nonetheless it was moving…and towards him! He yipped in joy executed a little hopping dance of happiness, his pain overshadowed by his jubilation, tail wagging madly back and forth.

Dusty, his Dusty, out and about and…and looking for him, no less! He paused. But…was she? For a terrible instant, an all-too-familiar doubt tried to assert itself once more within his heart and he briefly considered turning and heading in the opposite direction. Who was to say the feeling he now felt fluttering through his chest was mutual? Was it really worth it to risk their friendship on only guesswork? Immediately, the recollection of the fateful palaver he'd held with his father on the derelict boat earlier that day rose to the surface, kicking his doubt out on its treacherous ass. Who was he kidding? Why else would she risk further injuring herself unless she wished to see him?

The strength embedded in this thought seemed to stem and flow throughout his whole body, driving out his pain like it was nothing and once more replenishing his reservoirs of stamina. He let loose another elated yip of excitement as he began to move toward that heavenly aroma as though his life depended on it….

'I'm coming Dusty,' he though, eyes bright with anticipation. 'We'll be together soon…my love.'

((()-()))

Kavik stalked down Nome's Main Street, the battle-rage finally beginning to depart. It was a good thing that he'd gotten out of there when he had, for if the furious lupine had allowed himself to stay in the company of Forest and his band for much longer…well, there was no telling how bloody it might've gotten. His upper lip curled in disgust at the mere though of those disgusting idiots. Frighten his niece would they? Well, let them try it; he would be the first to know…and then, the three of them had better just pray to all the Gods that he didn't find them before Balto or any of the others did, for if he did, they would have no trial to speak of; he alone would act as judge, jury and most importantly…executioner.

'Now, now, don't think like that!' he scolded himself, 'that way lays madness…not to mention damnation.' All right, okay. True, they were punks, there was no denying that, but they had been interested only in pulling a prank on Dusty. It would've been an unnecessarily cruel prank, of that he had no doubt, but tomfoolery was no excuse to commit murder and neither was stupidity…no matter how longingly a secret part of him pined for their blood.

He shook his head once more, dispelling these dark contemplations of murder. That was not his way…that was something he would've expected from the likes of Juji…and he most certainly was not going to sink to his level, no sir! He paused on the outskirts of Nome, trying to think of something to take his mind off what he'd overheard. He considered; he couldn't talk to either Dusty or Kodi at the moment for the two of them no doubt had enough on their paws as it was. Kaltag or his mate might make good conversationalists, but something told him that Kaltag was one of those tough-as-nails, gonna-kick-some-ass fathers who'd most likely go out and beat the living snot out of someone like Forest if he found out what he'd planning….

Then, it came to him. Balto. Who better to lay all this on than his own flesh and blood? Besides, they hadn't had a real talk in ages, what with Balto having to advise Kodi all the time on how to improve the team and his being busy with Kemo and this new wolf pack in the forest outside Nome…so this would be the perfect time. If Jenna was with him, so much the better; he'd long marveled (and sometimes teased) his brother about landing such an incredible…ah…'piece' shall we say.

Chuckling softly, spirit considerably lifted by the prospect of having a real heart-to-heart talk with his brother for the first time in maybe a month, Kavik raised his white head, sniffed and began to trot off in the direction of the Old Trawler…

'If there's anyone who'll understand where I'm coming from, it'll be that big galoot…' he thought and chuckled once again. 'Besides,' he realized with a grin, 'we might need to talk about the possibility of him becoming a grandfather in the not-too-distant future….'

((()-()))

She had to stop. There was no help for it. If she didn't she was going to pass out, and that would only complicate matters. 'And things are already complicated enough as it is….' She thought ruefully as she plopped down into the snow, panting heavily and sucking in life-giving air. Her tongue hung limply from the side of her mouth and when she tried to lick her chops, she nearly gagged; her tongue tasted like a dried-out hunk of tree bark and her mouth and throat were as dry as a desert. She gratefully chomped on some snow, and then simply lay there, still breathing heavily.

"I don't know…how much longer…I can keep this up…." She gasped between labored respirations, the breath coming out in huge gusts of steamy vapor. She tried to take stock of how much strength she had left in her and gave up almost at once; what was the point? She felt exhausted. Hell, let's be honest here girlfriend, she was exhausted, all but ready to black out. Earlier, she'd have told you that nothing would stop her, least of all a trivial thing like her worn out body…but now, she was not so sure….

'Maybe I'll just lie here for a bit…' she thought dazedly, blue eyes already half-closed, her gaze clouded and unfocused. 'After all…what can it hurt? And I'm just so tired….' Her eyes slipped all the way closed and she had actually begun to slip off to the world of dreamland when a sudden noise roused her, jerking her out of her daze by the ears and thrusting her roughly into the real world as she heard….

"No…can't be…" But it was, and she knew it not only because her ears had never before led her astray but also because there was only one person she knew of who smelled a bit like cinnamon and brown sugar….

"Kodi…" she tried to cry out…only to discover, to her dismay that what came out was nothing more than a chocked rasp. She hastily gobbled some snow, licked her lips and tired again. "…Kodi!" Her voice was loud and clear this time and she waited eagerly for a reply of any kind.

For a terrible instant that seemed to go on for what seemed like centuries, she heard nothing and her heart began to sink. Then, incredibly, she heard him cry out her name with what sounded like unbridled joy. She could relate; she herself felt giddy with excitement, her whole body trembled not form pain now but from the knowledge that she would soon be reunited with him! She wasn't exactly sure what would follow their reunion, but something told her that she didn't have much to worry about….

Unable to contain herself any longer, she struggled briefly to gain her paws again and moved as fast as she could towards his voice, tears of happiness blurring the edges of her vision. She trotted down an alley and was briefly thwarted by a rickety fence before finding a hole big enough to squeeze through. This latest obstacle conquered, she straightened and was off, all but running now.

He was so close…maybe just around the next corner! She put on an amazing burst of speed, sending snow flying out behind her, her heart racing. She reached the mouth of the alley…and hit a patch of ice that swiftly swept her feet out from under her, laying her flat out on the snowy ground. She had just enough time to look to her left and catch a glimpse of Kodi – who, upon seeing her go down – tried to slow down…but he was going to fast. The fur along her back ruffled as he hurtled over her prone form in a desperate attempt to avoid what would've been a very dangerous collision for both of them under the circumstances. Her head whipped to the right just in time to see him make an awkward sort of sideways landing and then go tumbling to the ground, where he lay panting like a steam engine.

((()-()))

Kodi lay in the snow, not moving. Everything was on fire. His lungs were burning and his heart was hammering so hard that he was certain the muscle would explode within the depths of his chest at any moment. His normally alert brown eyes were rolling like billiard balls, his vision hazy. All he knew for sure was that the large lump of gasping gray fur in front of him was probably Dusty, but for the moment, despite how much he'd had on his mind just seconds ago, all he was concerned about was not dying – which felt exactly like what he was doing at the moment; dying.

He turned his head – it hurt like the dickens, but he did in anyway – needing to verify that all this was really happening, that the beautiful (albeit worn out) looking gray husky before him was actually here and not all part of some absurdly realistic dream. A single glance was all it took to allay his fears; she looked just as tired as he felt, more so even. She coughed violently and, alarmed, he managed to pull himself into a sitting position and make his way towards her.

Fatigued though he was, the young love-struck dog did not fail to take in the vision of his beloved; his eyes roamed over her, marveling at her exquisite beauty. All he could bring himself to think was; 'Holy crispy crap…If she looks this beautiful when we're both ready to pass out I wonder how she'll look when she's completely healed….' Her slender body was perfectly proportioned; slim yet full in all the right areas. Her legs were long and strong, though not as thickly muscled as his, giving her a far more feminine physique. Her eyes…

Her eyes…

Kodi suddenly became aware that at some point while he was ogling her (helpless though he had been to resist), Dusty must've gained enough of her second wind to attain a sitting position herself, for her head was now on a level with his own…and their eyes were locked. Insecurity unexpectedly swooped in and gripped his heart like a vice, turning his brains to mush. He felt the color in his face begin to climb once more but he was unable to look away; her eyes, so blue, so clear and so beautiful, held him captive and, though he'd had a general idea of how he was going to go about what he wanted to tell her…he now found himself at an utter loss for words, and he could only sit there and take her in, his mouth hanging open stupidly.

'Oh…God…help me.' He though, the voice he heard was high with terror, and he felt his heart begin to race once more as panic began to worm its long cold fingers through the hollow of his chest. 'I…I don't know what to say….' This had been a mistake. There was no way he could possibly go through with this! It had been crazy to even think of doing this! He'd rather go up against a grizzly on his own than –

'Enough of that!' A new voice commanded and Kodi's mental dressing down instantly stopped as he realized that he was hearing his own voice…only now it was bolder than he had ever felt in his life and held a note of authority. 'Are you going to just shy away from her the rest of your life? Because that's what you'll have to do if you can't pull enough of yourself together to tell her how you feel….'

Kodi swallowed, feeling a lump the size of a walnut at the back of his throat. The time had come to put fears of rejection and all else aside; the time for indecision had passed. Now was the time to be strong…to stand true…to pray to God with all his might that he didn't screw this up! He licked his lips nervously and said, in a low, embarrassed voice, "Hi…Dusty…" By no means a great starter, but better than nothing….

He watched as the color rose in her own cheeks and she glanced away distractedly. He didn't know exactly why it should be, but seeing her so seemed to erase some of his panic. He felt a little calmer anyway. Not much, but better than before. "Hi, Kodi…" she replied, sounding just as embarrassed as he felt. He let loose an inward sigh of relief. Well, this was going better than could be expected…so far that was.

He swallowed once more. Now came the hard part….

He took a deep breath and let it out speaking, sounding a little surer of himself, but not by much. He was more scared than he could ever remember being in all his life. "Listen Dusty, I…uh…"

'Damn, but this is hard!'

"I…Can we talk?"

She gave him a nod, meeting his eyes hesitantly. Neither was willing to risk looking at the other for more than a few seconds; it was just too awkward. "S-sure Kodi…uh…wh…what do you want to talk about…?" She seemed like she wanted to say more, but either couldn't bring herself to utter the words or (more likely) Kodi was hallucinating.

God, could THAT question be any harder to answer?

He glanced to his left once more, and then forced himself to look full in her lovely face. It made his knees feel like jelly and it felt as though his heart was doing double-time, but he did not look away. "Well, it's…it's about you, Dusty…. Ever since I've become a Mail Dog…we've all become really good friends…I mean, there's no other Team I'd rather be leading; you're all so kind, always listening to what I have to say and we never get into fights like some of the others do…No matter what, you're all there for me…but you were different from the rest…."

He trailed off, felt himself beginning to falter, and pushed on recklessly before his train of thought could elude him. He finally had it in his trembling paws and he would rather die than lose it now! "We've been through so much together this last year…and I feel like I, I mean, I feel like the two of us really know each other…and now…I've got to get something off my chest…" he gulped; his mouth and throat felt as though they had been coated in sandpaper.

"I'm…I'm just scared…I don't want this to mess up our friendship…but I have to say this…."

Dusty herself looked just as uncomfortably exposed and vulnerable as he felt; she kept licking her lips and he could swear she was shaking slightly…but maybe that was just from the strain of keeping in an upright position with a body that was as banged up as hers was. "G…Go ahead," she said, and amazingly, she smiled. "I'd…I'll always listen to what you have to say…you can trust me…and…and before you say anything just know…no matter what…we'll always be friends…."

Kodi felt a smile rise to his lips, and felt a wave of heat envelope him; he would've been drowning in sweat (if dogs could sweat that was) and this…this was the hardest part yet. He cleared his throat, searched his heart for the words…and found they came with surprising ease.

"Dusty…I…I don't want you to freak out or anything…but I have to tell you that…." He trailed off, cursing himself. 'A fine time to get tongue-tied, dunderhead!' He mentally snarled. He opened his mouth…and found to his utmost horror, that he'd lost his thread of thought. He pursed his lips, his knees quaking; his fur felt like it was on fire.

"Kodi…?" She sounded a bit unsure. "Are you…?"

To hell with this subtly bullcrap! He had to tell her now or it was going to drive him nuts. He just couldn't handle it anymore. He'd reached the end of his rope. Throwing caution to the winds, he swallowed and suddenly burst out: "Dusty…I love you." He paused, wondering if and how he should proceed and plunged onward, figuring that if he'd already started something he might later regret, he might as well have his say right on to the end now while he had the chance.

He moved closer to her, hardly aware of his actions; all his attention was focused in on her wide, startlingly blue eyes. His heart was going what felt like a thousand beats a minute. "I love you Dusty. We've been friends for so long and…I don't know when or how or even why it first happened…all I know is that at some point, I fell in love you. You're so caring, so gentle…and, well sorry, but you're the sexiest husky I've ever met." And then, afraid how that might sound, he went on. He knew he was babbling and badly too, but if he didn't get all of this out at once, then he would simply die. "When I look at you, it's like…I don't know, it's like I'm drowning, but it's a good drowning. You're so incredibly beautiful, you smell like no other woman I've ever met and, to top it all off…you're the best friend I've ever had." Amazingly, he felt a big, soft smile spread across his tired, worn out face. "…When I'm with you, I feel like I'm finally completely whole…I love you Dusty."

And then, to his own amazement – not to mention probably Dusty's as well – he leaned in and licked her face, nuzzling the top of her head with his own. He didn't know what to expect – not even in light of what everyone else around him had clued him in on. But the truth was that he really didn't give a rut's furry butt. In that moment, nothing mattered except the feeling of his fur against hers, the taste of her, the intoxicating reek of her scent….

Maybe he did expect what came next and maybe he didn't, he could never really say for sure when he tried to recall it later. Either way, whether he had been expecting it or not, the feeling of Dusty's tongue on his own neck and her smaller warm body against his still sent a tidal wave of emotion rushing through him and he experienced a thousand feelings at once; joy, relief, exhaustion, gratification…and, mayhap greatest of all, Love.

He looked down as he felt her weight shift out from under him. He stared into her eyes…and saw that there were tears streaming down her rosy cheeks. "Dusty…what is it?" he asked, feeling panic flutter in his chest. He hoped she didn't hate him; that was the last thing he wanted. "Did I do something wrong? Or…"

"No, no, no!" she hastened to reassure him, shaking her head violently too and fro, a smile spreading across her tear-streaked face. "I…I'm just…just so happy…." She apparently couldn't go on but then, she didn't really need to; she buried her hot, wet face against his broad chest and furiously licked his face, pressing herself against him. "I…I love you too, Kodiak…" she breathed and for a long time, that was the last word either of them spoke. They simply sat in the middle of that deserted alley amid the snow-covered crates with in a shaft of sunlight and felt the shared warmth of their bodies, Dusty with her head against his chest listening to the steady beat of his heart.

For the first time in either or their lives…both felt completely content with the way things had turned out for them…. It was a nice start.

((()-())

Author's Note

Well…there you have it folks; the chapter you've all been waiting for. I really hope it lived up to all your expectations…because I personally feel it could've been better, but like I've said so many times before; your opinions are the only ones that matter! Sorry to all you Dusty fans for focusing mainly on Kodi's P.O.V for the whole confession sequence, but I'm already planning a much longer one for both of them in the next one! Hope you all liked this chapter! We've only got one (or maybe even two, you never know with me) more to go! Please review!

BaltoLuver63