SNOWSWEPT

by CuddleFae

Dr. Lauren Lewis has been assigned to oversee the opening of a new hospital. Overwhelmed by all there is to know and learn in an unfamiliar land, she crosses paths with a mysterious woman with a dark past - a past that has caused her to live by one rule. Trust no one. Thrown into a desperate struggle, can they overcome the barriers between them in their fight to survive?

39. Chapter 39: It Takes a Family

A/N: FYI - This is the second chapter posted with this update, so be sure you have read Chap 38 before this! :)

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Chapter 39: It Takes a Family

Next Morning, Trail to Anchorage

Rudy was traveling at a much faster clip than Bo had expected. She was also doing a great job with navigation. Bo had only had to adjust their course twice in the first twenty miles and Rudy was still going strong. She had a feeling that after today, her little sister was going to be asleep soon after dinner. While she had hoped they'd have time to chat and read her story, Bo was starting to think she was going to have many quiet nights with her dogs.

On the other hand, this part of the trip was the easiest, so the trail had yet to really challenge the young musher. There would be difficult portions ahead, but Bo could already imagine Rudy's photo album filled with pages of the steep downhill sections.

The older Dennis laughed when she thought back to just before their departure. Rudy had been furious when their mom pulled the empty photo album from Rudy's backpack…

- Flashback -

"Rudy, what in the name of the great spirits are you doing with an empty photo album in your backpack. Have we not emphasized enough the importance of saving weight? You must be smart with your packing."

Rudy took the album and tried to put it back in her pack, "I have to consider each picture I take and how many pages I have available, Mom!"

Bo and Lauren smiled, the blonde suggesting, "Roo, you could just as easily draw squares in your journal to plan your pictures. Then again, we can also buy you an extra photo album or additional pages for this one if you take more than expected."

"But I want to do it while we're there… you know, in the moment!" Rudy emphasized, "After I take the picture, I'll print it and add it right in!"

Lauren looked at Mary and Bo, then back to Rudy, "Print it? How will you do that?"

"With the portable printer you got us!" Rudy said, frankly.

"Roo, how will you plug in a portable printer?" Lauren asked.

"With the solar battery that I strapped to my bench. See?"

Lauren looked at the seat, then noticed straps encircling the backrest. She moved behind the seat and sure enough, Rudy had mounted the solar battery, putting a triangular wooden block beneath it so that it was angled up towards the sun,

"Wow. That's…"

"A genius! Right?" Rudy grinned excitedly.

Lauren smiled, "I think you mean ingenious and yes, it actually is. I mean, mounting that block of wood so that the solar panel is angled towards the sky…"

"The precise angle, future Sister. We'll only have six hours of daylight, so I've mounted it at the angle where the sun will be in the sky so that I get the best charge I can get."

Lauren looked at Bo who shook her head, "You always surprise me, Roo. You thought of everything."

Rudy grinned, but Mary stepped forward, "Everything except the weight of your sled and the effect of the extreme cold on the printer's electronic components."

Rudy shook her head, "I've got it wrapped in one of Harper's furry sleeves. If the sleeves are warm when I put the printer in, it will be fine until we can get it near the fire once we make camp! See? I did think of everything! I give it the same treatment I'm giving my camera!"

"And the added weight?"

Mary nodded, looking at Bo who reluctantly agreed. Mushing required making tough choices and this was a teachable moment for the young musher,

"I know it doesn't seem like a lot of weight to you, Roo but consider how much weight your team is already pulling. You also have to remember that this will be the first-ever long distance run your team has every taken. Other than Jenna and Muk, they haven't had be outside every minute of every day for what could be seven days or more. Every ounce is going to count when they start to get tired."

"But I'll peddle if they're tired!"

Bo shook her head, "And what happens when you're too tired? I can't ask my dogs to pull both sleds this close to a thousand mile race and I can't peddle your sled for the same reason. Sorry, kiddo but you've got some tough choices to make. Besides, if you're burning that solar battery to run a printer, how will you charge your GPS device, your emergency satellite phone and your team's head lamps?"

"Do you have any space?"

"Not an ounce."

Rudy looked at her gear, then up at Lauren and just shrugged. Finally, she pulled her bedroll from her basket while the three women watched, confused. Bo was just about to tell Rudy she needed the insulation from the bedroll to keep her warm when she saw her sister lifting the printer, four packs of photo paper and two cables from inside. She laid them on top of the photo album,

Rudy smiled, "Okay, I'll leave the printer and photo album here, but I still have to take the camera bag."

Mary grinned, "There was no question about that. Just remember to keep it…"

"In the waterproof bag so that I don't damage it. It's Elise's camera too and she's trusting me with it until we get to Anchorage. Then she gets to take the pictures at the race unless she gets tired of taking them."

"Right. It's only fair since she doesn't get to do this trip with Bo too," Mary said.

"Maybe she can go with us next year if I do good this year?" Rudy asked, looking up at Bo.

"If she logs more hours on her sled and finishes learning all of her emergency maneuvers, definitely," Bo said.

"Cool," Rudy smiled, looking out towards the driveway, "Where are they?"

Bo shrugged, "I don't know, Roo. They'll be here."

Rudy checked her watch, "But aren't you worried about the schedule? We have to leave in thirty minutes, and I want to talk to Elise about some stuff before we go," she leaned in and whispered, "You know… the stuff!"

Bo smiled, looking up at her Mom before she took Rudy's hand and led her away so they could speak privately. Still, she leaned in and whispered,

"You told Mom everything last night and Mom told me this morning that she's going to ask Molly for help so Elise can get everything finalized before and during the race while Lauren's busy handling human and canine medical checks."

"You're sure?" Rudy asked.

Bo smiled, "Absolutely. Trust Elise, Molly and Mom. You know they'll get the job done."

"Okay. I just want everything to be perfect," Rudy said.

Bo smiled, "Do you see your future sister-in-law standing over there with Mom?"

"Yea?"

"Well, just know that if she's smiling on the big day, you know that everything is absolutely perfect."

Rudy giggled, "Well, that's easy. I'll just make sure I'm standing next to her because she always smiles around me… even more than around you!"

"Yes, she does, kiddo," Bo laughed, turning towards the sound of a truck in the driveway, "Looks like your bestie is here."

"Yes!" Rudy said, pumping her fist and running towards the driveway, "Elise! Elise!"

Bo watched as Elise jumped out of the truck and ran straight for Rudy, the two hugging before they ran to the kennel. Taking a seat on her sled bench, Bo smiled as Elise made the rounds to each dog, rubbing their heads and giving them a trademark Elise pep talk.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Lauren asked, sitting down beside the brunette.

"Just watching those two little ones. They really are adorable. I feel kind of bad that I didn't include Elise in this little expedition."

Lauren shook her head, "I talked to her about it, Bo. She admitted that she hadn't trained as hard as Rudy. She said she really doesn't want to give up the time at the kennel working with the dogs to work on mushing. She was afraid to tell Rudy because she thought she would be mad at her, but your little sister was apparently quite understanding."

"Elise talked to Rudy about it?"

Lauren nodded, "The night you asked her to do the trip with her. She was afraid, so she wanted to talk to Elise about it – of course, she didn't tell your mom that. She just asked if she could use the cell phone to call her friend," Lauren smiled, "Apparently they talked for almost three hours."

"Sheesh. Thank goodness for that unlimited data plan."

Chuckling, Lauren gave a nod, "I'm just glad they actually prefer talking to texting."

Bo smiled, "I'm sure you are. I know you don't want them to lose the human-to-human socialization."

"They still have some sort of plan for their future together. Elise said Rudy's got the mushing blood and she's got the doctoring blood. Together, they can get through anything else. Her words, not mine."

"Wow. You have to wonder what the future will bring for them, huh?" Bo asked, watching Lauren nod her agreement, "So what does Elise want to do if not mush?"

Lauren grinned, "I think we all know how much she has taken to her internship with Cassie. She really loves taking care of the animals. She was super excited that she got to see Cassie deliver a litter of puppies last week. I have a feeling she'll be glued to your hip if you start breeding your dogs after the race."

"Our dogs," Bo said with a wink, "And I heard about that. She could barely stand still as she told me, then she grabbed my hand and dragged me to the welping pen. Of course, on the way there, she made me promise to be absolutely quiet so I didn't disturb them."

Lauren smiled, "It's still so hard to believe that the two of them aren't actually blood relatives. They're just so much alike."

"They really are like sisters, huh."

Lauren nodded, "Bo, I'm so sorry I was nearly unconscious last night."

"It's okay, Sweetie. You did a great job of entertaining me with small talk," Bo replied, lightly kissing the blonde's lips, "Mmmm… your lips are so soft."

Lauren grinned, "I'm finally leaving the eternally chapped winter lips months."

"Yea, I think the last of the snows for this year will come by early to mid-March. The air is drying up, the winds are slowing and the snow is getting wet before sundown several days a week. Of course, the lake is still solid. I'll know more after I see the race trail," she shook her head, "You know, I really should have been one of those weather girls," Bo snarked.

They both turned when they heard Rudy announce the time. Lauren turned to Bo, "Well, at least I know you'll stay on schedule."

"Yea, I don't think there will be much flexibility there, but she's going to have to learn to listen to the dogs as well. They decide on their pace or we don't have dogs to pull a sled."

They sat together, watching the girls talk to the dogs until Rudy called for 'go time'. Bo stood pulling Lauren into a tight embrace. When she didn't let go, the blonde whispered,

"I love you, Bo Dennis. Safe travels. I'll see you in Anchorage. Don't be late. Someone who misses you will be waiting."

Bo smiled, "I'd better get going then."

She released the blonde, gripping her face and kissing her soundly, a raw need tugging at every fiber of her being as she deepened the kiss... until she heard a throat clear… loudly. She pulled back, her eyes closed as she rubbed her lips together,

"See you soon."

Lauren smiled, placing a soft kiss on her forehead, "See you soon."

Bo moved to her sled, lining up the mix of dogs she was using before reassuring the others that she would see them soon. Nike, Diana and Aphrodite didn't seem phased by the event at all. They knew Bo would never do the real race without them, but Harper was another story. By the time she was ready to hitch up the wheel dogs, she noticed Harper standing in position.

"Uh… Mom?" Bo called to Mary who was hitching the last of Rudy's dogs to her sled and doing a final check of the lines and sled.

"Just a minute, Ysabeau," Mary replied.

"Mom?" Bo asked again.

Mary stopped what she was doing and turned to see Bo standing next to Harper, hands on her hips.

"Oh dear," Mary said, dropping what she was doing and walking to her eldest daughter's sled, "What's this?"

Bo shrugged, "A compromise?"

Mary smiled, "It's up to you, but it looks to me your beloved friend wants a tryout."

"Yea. That's what it looks like alright," Bo sighed, "Two hundred miles, Mom. I don't think she can do it."

Mary shrugged, "You're only doing fifty miles at a time, Ysabeau."

Bo shook her head, "But the cumulative effect of being out in the cold for five to seven days and having to keep up with Rudy's sled. I don't think she can go that hard, Mom."

Mary called to Lauren who sighed and planted both hands on her hips. She called to Harper who immediately moved to sit in front of her. Lauren knelt down, rubbing her behind the ears and on her neck digging into the thick fur,

"Hey baby girl. I know you really want to run, but I'm going to put my foot down… doctor's orders. If you keep improving, maybe you can go next year."

Harper barked, turning away from Lauren and moving to stand beside the basket of Bo's sled. Lauren sighed, looking up at Bo,

"Maybe you can hitch two more dogs to the team to carry the extra weight?"

Bo shook her head, "I don't have the dogs here to do that, Lauren. I sent them back with LJ and Kyle last night after I made my decision. Dammit. I should have kept more here instead of tapering down to just the dogs I was taking to the race. I didn't think about Harper… just that she would go with you."

Lauren nodded, "It's okay, Bo. She'll be disappointed, but I'll keep her busy. I'll use her with my team today or your Mom will use her, right, Mary?"

Mary's eyes lit up, "Really? I would love the chance to run Yuji's daughter!"

Bo smiled, watching her Mom lean down and rub Harper's head before asking her, "Harper? Do you want to run with Grandmother's team? Huh? Do you want to run with Yuji's musher?"

Harper's ears perked up before she stood and followed Mary over to her sled. The older Dennis didn't waste any time hooking Harper into the wheel position.

"Well, that worked out well," Bo smiled, "You'd better get to your sled before Rudy pulls out without you."

Lauren smiled, "I'll be right behind you."

Bo smiled, "I'd rather you were right beside me."

"Whatever you want," Lauren grinned, kissing Bo one last time, "Take care of yourself."

Bo nodded, "You have a safe trip back without me."

She watched as Lauren moved to her sled, pulled on her gloves and goggles, then raised her hood. The blonde gave Anna and Elsa the command, following in line with the other sleds that were kicking off the journey with Bo and Rudy. Finally, the garage and parking area was empty. With one last look back at empty kennels, Bo called to her two substitute leads, Samson and Delilah,

"Hike Samson! Hike Delilah! Show me what you can do kids!"

She pulled up alongside Lauren, trailing behind Rudy and Elise who were following Mary and Molly. In front of them were Mark and Tosh, Carolyn and Shannon, then LJ and Kyle in the lead. They'd emptied the kennels to do this first-of-its kind friends and family run and it warmed Bo's heart to see. This is why she came home. This is why she had worked so hard to adjust to a life that included the indoors. This was the love she'd never known since losing her mom.

They had all agreed to carry ceremonial lanterns atop tall hooks that Kyle had fashioned to clamp to the benches on each sled. The swaying glow of the lamps against the snow-covered mountains and deep green trees was just beautiful.

Rudy turned to her mom, calling something out to her before Mary held up an open hand, indicating a need to stop. They watched as Rudy dropped her break and hopped off of her sled, camera in hand. She ran straight to Lauren,

"Can you help me take a time exposure picture, so I get the light, right? This is awesome! We need a picture of it!"

Bo smiled, "Mom and I will watch your sleds. Go on and take your picture."

Lauren dropped her brake and followed Rudy to the back of the line, but Rudy ran back to Bo and her Mom,

"You guys gotta turn around, smile and wave. Not a goofy wave… a cool wave. It's perfect right now! Everyone is turning the corner! So cool…" She trailed off, rushing back to Lauren who knelt down in the snow, giving Rudy a solid shoulder to use as a tripod.

When they were finished, they rushed back. As Rudy passed Bo she yelled, "This is awesome!"

Bo laughed and turned to Lauren, "This is going to be one of the most memorable trips to a race start I've ever taken. I wish you were going with us."

Lauren smiled, "Me too, but I really want to be with your dogs on the transports… especially your first timers. I think it's important."

"It is and I thank you again for taking on that role for me, the dogs and the team."

"You're welcome, Bo," Lauren smiled, turning to the group ahead, "Wow. They're really moving. We'd better catch up."

Bo nodded, her eyes brimming with tears as she watched the group move away, "Just one more minute. I want to store this memory for those cold nights on the tundra."

Lauren smiled, "Whenever you're ready, love. I'll follow your lead."

- End Flashback –

Bo shook her head, realizing she had been deeply focused on the events of the morning and had stopped watching the trail ahead. That was dangerous considering she had a very young novice handling the navigation. She looked around and gave a sigh of relief when she was satisfied that they were still on course.

She smiled, thinking back to the family and friends launch. There was just something about the sight of the entire group being lit by lanterns. She imagined that was what things were like back in the day on the North Slope when groups would travel by sled before headlamps were invented. For her mom, this was probably like traveling back in time.

She saw Rudy hold up a hand and pull her team to a stop. The youngster set her brake and ran back to Bo,

"Sister? I have to pee."

Bo smiled, "Okay kiddo. You know what to do, right?"

"Yea. Where do I go?"

Bo looked around, "Are you worried that there's a little bear cub out there that might see you?"

"Oh. Right. There's no one here."

Bo nodded, "Just don't pee on the trail in front of my team. They'll all want to stop to sniff it. Make sure the cup is tight against your body so the pee comes out and doesn't overflow and go down your leg."

"Eeew. Gross."

"Well…"

"I know, I know." Rudy said, running back to the sled and pulling out the small pouch from her bag. She moved off the trail to the left and pushed the feminine urination device down into her pants, careful to make sure the spout came out through the fly in her pants.

Bo had to chuckled when the 'ahhh' came out of her little sisters' mouth and a yellow stream landed in the snow. Relief washed over Bo that she wasn't going to have to worry about washing pee out of Rudy's pants and then getting them dry before tomorrow.

When she was finished, she pulled the device from her pants and shoved it down into the snow over and over again before putting it back in pouch. Then, she ran back to her sled, Bo calling out to her,

"Sanitize your hands!"

Rudy jumped off her sled and back to the outside strap of her pack, pulling out the hand sanitizer. She rubbed her hands thoroughly with the solution, then again put her hands in and out of the snow before drying them off with a towel. Everything attached to the bag before she turned and gave Bo a thumbs up and set off down the trail again.

Bo checked the urine as she passed, realizing that it was entirely too yellow for the trip. She was going to need to get her sister hydrated overnight or they were going to have problems. For now, there was a portion of the track coming up that Bo wanted to lead Rudy through, so she called out to her team,

"Hike, Samson! Hike Delilah! Mush! Mush!"

She pulled up next to Rudy and shouted to her, "First tricky section coming up! I'll take the lead. It will be all downhill and you'll be tempted to let the speed go, but there's a tight left and then a tight right. Go easy on your speed until we finish those two turns, then you can let them run, okay?"

"Okay," Rudy said, tightening her grip on the handle

"Remember, Roo, you've trained for this. If you flip the sled, use your brake and don't forget to call out to your team. I'll hear you and know to stop my team to stop your dogs just in case. You good?"

Rudy nodded, but Bo could see the fear in her eyes. She smiled, "Piece of cake, Roo. You love going fast and this is nothing you've never done before. You just haven't done it in the dark. Feel the sled and be sure to…"

"Point my head towards the trail ahead even though it's not natural."

Bo smiled proudly, "Like I said – you've got this. Enjoy the ride, little Sis!"

That put a smile on Rudy's face as Bo pulled ahead, looking over her shoulder as she entered the tree lined, narrow portion of trail. It was steep, just as she recalled, and the sled quickly picked up speed. The dogs opened up their strides, but she needed to pull them back knowing that Rudy would try to keep up. She needed to pace her own sled for a speed Rudy could handle in the turns,

"Whoa! Whoa!" She called, applying the drag brake to slow the sled which would in turn pull the dogs back and slow their pace. It was in moments like this that she missed Nike and Diana. They had a natural instinct for pacing – almost as if they were aware they could flip Bo if they went too fast in the turn. Samson and Delilah were just all speed and all brawn. They went all out until they went to sleep, no change of pace unless Bo forced it and even then, they sometimes resisted.

Bo held up her left hand, signaling the left turn was coming before gripping her sled and leaning into the curve. With a quick look over her shoulder, she saw her sister handling her sled like a pro. Just as she came out of the turn, she raised her right hand and turned into the much steeper bank. She kept her headlamp towards the wall and her right hand up, dragging it along the rock face to her right so that Rudy would see she could not lean too far right or she would hit her head. As she came out of the turn, she looked over her shoulder, waiting for Rudy to round the curve and saw her on a single rail. Her heart stopped as she waited for the sled to flip, but the youngster stuck out her leg and set the sled down, calling out,

"Wahoooo! Hike! Hike!"

Bo couldn't help but laugh when she realized Rudy was coming hard to retake the lead as the trail straightened out into downhill open tundra. This was the test Bo wanted for this group of dogs. She needed to speed test them over varying distances at the start of a day and at the mileage equivalent of a checkpoint so she pushed them out of the turn,

"Mush! Mush! Come on, kids! Show me what you've got!"

She looked over to find Rudy's younger, smaller team was out pacing her stronger, bigger dogs. Granted, Roo was carrying a lighter sled and musher, but these dogs should not be giving up ground to such a young group and inexperienced musher. Clearly, the team she currently had on her center line were not going to replace any of her existing dogs this year. She was, however, eyeing Rudy's leads. Muk and Jenna had come through for her before and they were once again demonstrating they had the will to run. In addition, the pair now had the experience of a bear encounter and several long-distance runs with her top dogs.

Bo couldn't deny that Rudy would be ecstatic if the pair ran the race this year, but Bo had to remain objective. Muk and Jenna had caused some problems in the past. Could she be sure to prevent them from causing arguments over the course of ten days on the trail?

Rudy pulled alongside her sled, calling out, "Come on, Sister! Let's see what they've got!"

Bo nodded, calling to her team, "Who wants to be a champion? Mush! Mush!"

Shaking her head as Rudy's team pulled past, Bo eyed Muk and Jenna. They were certainly driven runners and they also looked like they had the will of their master. She talked to herself as they ran,

"Don't be hasty, Bo. You still have to rule out your own errors. This could be as simple as bad alignment which wouldn't be the dogs' fault. This is also a group that has never run together, so give them a day or so before you start writing them off. You know all too well that the wrong leads would hold back any natural talent in the entire group. First thing tomorrow, you drop Samson and Delilah to the wheel position and make more observations."

They had gone fifty-seven miles by the time Rudy was starting to fade, so Bo started to look for a good spot to shelter along the Susitna River. Lauren had marked local clinics and hospitals on the map for Mary's peace of mind so Bo knew that Sunset Community Hospital wasn't far from where they would camp for the night.

With the dogs staked to the ground and resting in the cool snow, the sisters made camp and then set to the task of watering and feeding their dogs. Rudy had never fed a nutrient mixture, so Bo had to laugh at the difficulty she had stirring her five-gallon bucket full of feed and water derived from melting snow, but she got the job done without spilling too much. Next was to lay out both human and canine hay beds and then get to work finding food for themselves. They would try not to dig into Bo's race rations so they didn't have to replace them, but if it became necessary, she would. Kyle had packed extra rations on the supply truck just in case. They took their fishing poles to the river, cast their lines and made themselves comfortable while they fished,

"That was a lot of fun, Sister. Thank you for bringing me."

Bo smiled, "I'm happy to have you here, Roo. I've been wanting to get you out here for a long time."

"Did you have fun?"

Bo grinned, "Getting my butt whooped? Yup!"

Rudy smiled, "We did kinda whoop you, huh?"

"Sure enough," Bo nodded.

"Sister, why are you changing the team that you used last year?"

"Well, as you know, I have to replace Harper. The other dog I lost last year was Athena. She was poisoned and had tumors in her body. They were removed, but some of them were in her feet and lower legs. She healed, but she just can't run the way she used to, so she's retired."

"She's one of the pregnant dogs, right?"

Bo smiled, "Yup. I started her early since she's not going to run. She's due at the end of March."

"She's Harper's daughter?"

"Yes, she is."

"So, you just have to replace those two dogs. Isn't that just Sadie and Keegan?"

Bo shrugged, "Do you think they're the best two? They ended up on my race team by accident. They were just supposed to be for traveling."

"But they were on the winning team at the Quest. Why wouldn't you use them?"

"I'm not saying I won't, but remember I can't replace dogs during the race. I can only drop them. Less dogs means less speed and less weight I can carry, so I have to choose the best dogs for the distance and conditions."

Rudy nodded, "But you can always pick up supplies at the checkpoints, so what's the big deal?"

"Stopping at checkpoints means adding time. I can't afford to do that."

"Oh," Rudy blushed, "I didn't think of that."

"You will with more experience."

"There's a lot to know."

Bo smiled, "And you'll know it all, Roo. It all becomes second nature to you the more you do this. Think about it – when you get up in the morning, does mom have to remind you to put on your socks, undies, layers of shirts, mukluks, pants and hoodie?"

"Of course not. Getting dressed is easy."

Bo grinned, "It wasn't so easy last spring."

Rudy considered Bo's comment before the realization hit her, "Wow. I didn't see that before. She doesn't have to tell me to brush my teeth or wash behind my ears or brush my hair – okay, so she has to tell me that sometimes because I hate it so much – but she used to have to remind me of stuff all the time. Now she just kind of checks what I'm doing."

Bo smiled, "Like what you packed and how much weight you were adding."

"Yea, like that," Rudy smiled, "So are you still thinking about my Muk and Jenna?"

Bo smiled, "I am."

Rudy handed her pole to Bo, "Can you hold this for a second? I'll be right back."

"Roo…" Bo began, but her sister was running towards her sled before Bo could argue. She saw her stop, hesitate and scan the horizon, but she continued. Bo relaxed, grateful that Rudy hadn't noticed any of the wildlife that was around – for the moment. Bo had spotted a black bear across the river, a moose and its young in the trees to her left and a brown bear down river at the rapids, waiting for his evening meal to jump out of the stream.

She sighed, holding both poles, hoping she didn't have to put a pole down to catch a fish. Luckily, Rudy was quick and returned with a folded piece of paper in her hand. She passed it to Bo,

"LJ, Kyle and I did sprint trials for every dog like they do for the Olympics," Rudy said, taking her pole back.

Bo squinted down at the paper, noting the times for each dog, "How did this work?"

Rudy explained, "LJ attached a fox fur to a fishing pole and cast it way out into the field from the starting line. Kyle stood fifty yards away and timed the dogs. When he cast Kyle started the watch and when they crossed the line, she stopped it. The dogs kept going, but LJ would reel in the fur and they would chase it back. They always caught it before he could get it back though. It was funny."

"This is really helpful since it's instinct and awareness driven data," Bo replied, taking a hard look at the list, "I'm not surprised that Nike and Diana were at the top of the list, but I am surprised that Aphrodite was third. She's strong, but that doesn't always equate to speed. She's also much faster than these young rookies."

"Yea, we were surprised by that too," Rudy said, taking back her fishing pole.

"The three of you didn't have any suggestions?" Bo asked.

Rudy shook her head, "Kyle said it wasn't her skill… set? Whatever that means and LJ said he wasn't the master, so it wasn't his job."

"Cowards," Bo snarked.

"I'm no coward. I'll tell you exactly who you should race," Rudy said defiantly, "Let's talk it out. You have Nike and Diana as your leads," Rudy began.

Bo hesitated, but then remembered that young Roo's instinct about dog lineups had been dead on twice before,

"That's a definite. There are no better leads – especially when it comes to independent thinking should I be injured or fall of the sled and I'd swear they have built in GPS chips in their brains."

"That would be so cool."

"That, my dear sister, would be cheating. We want to keep the sport as natural as possible."

Rudy nodded, "And that's why the Dennis Family is still running with wooden sleds."

"Right," Bo nodded, "So we have Nike and Diana. Who's next?"

"Can you write the names in the sand?" Rudy asked, "I don't remember things that well. My brain is still little."

Bo chuckled, but wrote a big NI and DI, "There. I'll just put the first letters of their names."

"Okay," she agreed, "So if Aphrodite is next fastest, then she is better a swing than a wheel. She just needs a partner."

Bo nodded, "She used to run with Harper, but she ran with Gaea at the Quest."

"Who is the fastest after Aphrodite?" Rudy asked.

"Keegan and then Sadie."

"Can either of them run with Aphrodite?"

Bo shook her head, "They've been running together as rookies for years. They ran together at the Quest."

"So, what if they are your swings and then you can put Aphrodite back at the wheel or as the lead team dog."

"Why at swing?"

"Sadie and Keegan are always with Nike and Diana. They're the best of friends."

"Really? I hadn't noticed," Bo replied, "Last night they were with the rest of the dogs."

Rudy laughed, "They were with the boy dogs from the town kennel. Tamsin said they're horny, but I told her they do not have horns."

Unfortunately, Bo had taken a sip of water from her bottle as Rudy spoke. She water shot from her mouth as she coughed out half of a gasp and half of a laugh before trying to move past the comment. Rudy patted her on the back,

"Don't choke, Sister. I don't know that Heiney thing yet."

Bo choked again, "Hemilich, Roo."

"Right," Rudy nodded, "Anyway, they are Aphrodite's besties when the boys aren't around. Trust me on that."

"Okay. Why is that important?" Bo asked.

"You have to treat the kennel like the playground at recess, Sister. You see who the friend groups are, who the bullies are, you know – stuff like that. Keep the bullies away from the friend groups and keep not friends away from friends so they don't start stuff."

"Good idea, Roo," Bo smiled, now wondering what was happening to her little sister on the playground at school. Still, she pushed the concerns down and focused on her sister,

"Tell me what else you've noticed about my dogs, Roo."

"Hera and Demeter don't talk to anyone else. Nemesis, Artemis, Hestia and Iris are all friends. Jenna and Muk hang out with Aphrodite all the time. I think she's teaching them."

"Well, with the exception of your dogs, all of the dogs you just mentioned have been my team dogs for quite some time. Hera and Demeter are the lead team dogs, so I'm guessing that's why they may isolate themselves a bit more from the rest of the team. All of their times are after Aphrodite except for Hera and Demeter's."

"Yea, but Hera and Demeter are the slowest of all of them and you have them as the lead team dogs. They're big and bulky like working dogs."

"That's true, so I could run Keegan and Sadie as the swing dogs, Aphrodite and Gaea as the wheels and then keep the teams."

Rudy pointed to the list, "Jenna and Muk beat Hera and Demeter."

"They did, did they?"

Rudy nodded, "Here. See?"

"Wow. They crushed it."

"Yup. Are you still worried that they're too young?" Rudy asked.

Bo nodded, "It's a really long race, Roo. Bad things can happen to young dogs. Their skin and feet aren't as tough as an older dog's and the conditions out on the Alaska Range are very harsh. They've never been out there which is why I tend to lean towards more experienced dogs."

Rudy nodded and remained silent. Bo waited, watching her little sister carefully as a frown slowly formed and her bottom lip began to quiver before she finally spoke,

"I know you're just looking out for what's best for them, Sister. They just have big dreams."

Bo had to work hard not to let out an 'awww… you are so adorable'. Instead, she steeled emotions before she spoke,

"I am and I still want to be sure they're healthy for your first big race even though they will be well into their career by then. You need to train with dogs that are fast and strong because they're the dogs that will challenge your skills and make you the best musher you can be. A team of dogs is no good without a musher who knows how to handle them, Roo. Sometimes that means making the choice for them to sit out of a race that could make their big dreams impossible to achieve."

Rudy nodded and looked up at her sister, "Cassie said dogs can't reach their dreams if their owners kill them. Is that what you mean?"

Bo nodded, "Yes and unfortunately, that's what happens to some dogs. Being a good musher is more than just winning trophies. It's about respecting your dogs and taking care of them. As I said, their instincts can make them run themselves to death if you don't watch them and make the right choices on their behalf."

Rudy nodded, "I understand."

She sighed, looking at her dogs before turning back to their sand notes, "Okay, so what do we have?"

Bo replied, "Leads are Nike and Diana, swing dogs will be Sadie and Keegan, veteran team dogs will be Hera, Demeter, Nemesis, Artemis, Hestia, Iris and then Aphrodite and Gaea at the wheels. I can carry an additional four team dogs. I don't usually run more than twelve, but with many of these dogs nearing retirement, I've got to get some youngsters some experience – even if I have to drop them at a checkpoint."

Rudy asked, "Why do you drop dogs?"

Bo sighed, "I think if you pay attention to the condition the dogs are in when mushers drop them to the veterinary staff, you'll understand the difference in how the Dennis and Morton families handle their dogs and how others handle their dogs. I know you want to work the checkpoints, but spend a little time with the veterinary staff too. I'd like you to see all of the aspects of the Iditarod."

"Can I go to the musher meeting with you?"

Bo smiled, "We'll see. It depends on what else needs to be done."

"You may need me to take care of the dogs?"

"Is that a problem for you?" Bo asked.

"No! You know I love taking care of your dogs and I can give them a real good pep talk. I just… I don't want to mess anything up."

Bo turned and looked at her dogs, "They look great to me and a lot of that is because of you, Roo."

"It is?"

Bo grinned, "Of course it is. You play with them every day, you feed them, brush them, massage them, put out their hay and water. You're right there with me every step of the way."

"You would tell me if I was messing up, right?"

Bo scowled, "What are you worried about?"

Rudy shrugged, "Do I give them too much attention? I mean… do I play with them too much?"

Bo shook her head, "Now why on earth would you think I think that?"

"Bogs Mitchell says his dad says race dogs aren't pets, they're workers."

"Why did Bogs tell you that?" Bo asked.

"Because he said I was too nice to Snow. He said she'll never be a good race dog."

Bo smiled, "Well, you see how we treat Harper and she's thought to be one of the best race dogs in the history of the sport."

"I told him Harper sleeps with you and he said that will make them weak."

Bo shook her head, "Well, I'll tell you what mom taught me as a child. She said that love is the most powerful force in the universe whether you're on earth or in the heavens. She said raise a dog with love and they'll be a powerful force in your life even if they're not behind a sled."

Rudy smiled, "We sure do love our dogs."

Just then, Rudy's fishing pole dipped towards the water, "Fish on!"

Bo smiled, "Set the hook! Let's see if you can land this one all by yourself."

Helping her sister to hold onto the rod as she stood, Bo smiled, watching the child wrestle the fish onto shore. It was a beautiful trout,

"Trout! Trout! It's a Rainbow Trout, right? Am I right?"

The elder sister grinned, "You're absolutely right! You gather up some wood and start the fire while I clean our fish!"

Bo began to unsheathe her knife when her own rod tugged. A few moments later, she unceremoniously landed another trout, then set to work cleaning both. Once finished, she pulled out a beet, a turnip, a carrot and two pieces of parchment paper,

"Okay, Roo. Outdoor cooking lesson number five," she waited for Rudy to come over, "Take the parchment paper and fold it like this so you have a pouch. Then, cut up the vegetables into small pieces and put them in your pouch on top of your fish. In the spring, if you look around, you'll find scallions and dandelion and some other things to use for spices and greens. For now, this will be a little bland unless you can add a little salt water. That's a glacial river, so there's no salt there."

Rudy finished folding her paper and loaded it with the vegetables Bo pushed her way, "So no salt?"

Bo shook her head, "Here's half of your trout. We'll save the other piece for later. Just make sure you store it in your food bucket so it stays cold."

Rudy took the piece of fish, as Bo explained, "I left the skin on one side. Put that side down inside the pouch and push the vegetables on top of it."

"Oops. I put them in already," Rudy said, dumping the vegetables into the snow to put in the fish, then putting the vegetables in, "Oops. Does it matter that there's some snow in my pouch?"

"Nah. They'll just be more steamed than roasted. They'll still taste okay. Now, roll and tuck the paper like this. Once the fire dies down to coals, we put the pouches on and let them cook for about fifteen minutes and we'll have a meal in a pouch."

"That's super easy! I mean, it will be once I learn how to clean a fish without cutting myself."

"You'll catch on soon enough, Roo," Bo smiled, "Now, how about we read some Nemo while we still have daylight? It will take a while for the fire to burn down."

"But don't you want to figure out who you're going to use for your team?"

"We have the starting twelve. We'll figure out the other four soon enough. Let's watch them and see how they do."

"How they do?" Rudy asked.

Bo smiled, "There's more to choosing a team than the times you've given me. We've got to see who gets along with who, who gets distracted… you'll see. Remember, some of them haven't run together before, so we have to give everyone a chance to get to know each other."

"But you've been running them in different groups for months and months and months! How much more looking can you do?"

Bo grinned, offering her sister a wink, "About six more days."

She saw Rudy roll her eyes, so she offered one last piece of advice, "Remember, a musher must have patience and take the time they need to make the right decisions. We have all week, Roo."

Rudy shrugged, "Okay."

"Captain Nemo?"

Rudy smiled, "I'll get the book. It's in my pack."

Bo watched as Rudy ran back to her sled and grabbed the book, then came back and sat by the fire, "Do you want me to read to you, Sister?"

Bo smiled, "That would be great."

If someone had told Bo Dennis that one day, her ten-year-old sister would be sitting with her by a fire waiting to cook the trout they caught together, she would have called them a liar. If they went further and told her she would be sitting and listening to that same little sibling reading Captain Nemo to her, she would have laughed… long and hard. If they had gone the distance and told Bo that they would be on their way to the Iditarod, she would have said it was just a dream because there would be no way that something that beautiful could happen in the life of Bo Dennis.

Yet, here she was, looking upon the face of her tiny twin, twenty years removed, listening to her read a book with as much enthusiasm as Bo had when she read to her mom at the same age. Life certainly was full of surprises. Most in the mushers' life had been horrific, but this… little Rudy… this was amazing and positive and joyful and… well, words just weren't enough. The day she had met this tiny soul was the day a new chapter began and letting her into her heart had changed her forever.

Bo tossed the pouches onto the hot coals and sat back to continue listening to Rudy read. She recognized that spending time with a child calmed her yet energized her at the same time. She had been blessed with a sister who was wise and curious beyond her years, bold, beautiful, adventurous, and ambitious. Sitting here now, Bo was more grateful than words could express for her life – something else she never thought she would be able to say.

After listening to Rudy for about fifteen minutes, she sat up, checking on the fish and decided they were good to go. She pulled each pouch out of the fire, placing them on a piece of warm wood to set, then threw handfuls of snow into a small pot followed by her mom's tea and lowered it into the hot coals. She laid back down and continued to listen to Rudy read for another five minutes until the tea came to a boil and the fish was cooled enough.

"Hungry enough to stop there rather than start a new chapter?"

"Definitely! I could eat a whole fish!" Rudy said, her wide eyes set on the fish as her tongue ran over her lips.

Bo smiled, "Well, luckily we both caught one, so you have a whole half a fish."

Rudy nodded, "Awesome!"

"Do you want me to open the pouch for you? It may still be hot."

"Yes, please," Rudy nodded.

Bo smiled, "You pinch here and here at the corners, then you slowly pull, and it will… pop apart!"

"That's really cool."

"Yes it is! Now, you open up yours and dig in!"

"What about a fork?" Rudy asked.

Bo shrugged, "We're in natures' kitchen, Roo. Utensils are weight and we keep the sleds free of any non-necessities."

"Right. That's why the Spirits gave us fingers, right?" Rudy smiled.

"That's right."

Rudy picked a big piece of fish off the parchment and put it in her mouth, "Ohmagosth! Thas sho good!"

Bo smiled, "Take your time there, Champ! The fish isn't going to jump off the plate anymore. I don't need you choking out here."

Rudy smiled, holding the food in her mouth, "Yes, Sithter."

They ate, Rudy asking a lot of questions about where they were on the map while Bo quizzed her on the local trees, vegetation and wildlife. When the quiz was over and the questions slowed to one every five minutes or so, Bo set up a small shelter for them to sleep in, then added wood to the fire. The wind would blow the warm air from the fire into the shelter which was covered with the special stretch cover that Kyle had designed just for this race.

It was a prototype, so Bo knew that Kyle would want to know how it worked the minute they saw each other in Anchorage. It was light and small enough for her to carry two, so she hoped they were warm enough tonight.

She tucked Rudy in before heading off to check that the dogs were staked securely to the ground before laying between the fire and her sister. Her larger body would block the wind as the hotter air rose above her and into the nook where Rudy slept. If there was any wildlife that came snooping around when the fire dimmed, Bo would be the first line of defense after the barking dogs on the other side of the fire.

The brunette smiled thinking about her friend, Kyle. Their relationship had always been a rocky one, largely due to Bo's stubborn streak, but this past year had allowed the dynamic between the two to change… to grow and improve. Kyle had become a close friend to Lauren which Bo was grateful for despite the initial jealousy she'd felt over their relationship. In the end, Kyle became a better friend as well as the perfect business partner.

She hoped that eventually, Kyle and LJ would run the business together, using Bo just to build the sleds in the background since – in all honestly – Bo just wanted to work with wood. Her fame in the sledding world had led to clients who just wanted access and it had left a sour taste in her mouth. That was why she wanted her business to be a showroom. If people wanted to come around back to the barns and watch her work, they could, but she couldn't sign autographs if she was bending iron for arm rests or bending wood for sled rails.

Of course, sleds were another topic. New materials were being used to build sleds and while others were switching to those sleek, lightweight, faster designs, Bo simply didn't agree. There was little you could do with the sled materials once it was built other than add it to another growing junk pile. Wood sleds could eventually be burned for wood and would return to the earth to fertilize the soil… at least Bo and Kyle's sleds could. They didn't use chemicals to waterproof their wood. They used natures remedies which – in her business partners' words – was why they could charge less for their sleds and therefore, sell more.

The sound of a twig snapping drew Bo's attention. She quickly reached beneath her hay pillow for her hunting knife. Checking on Rudy to be sure she was sleeping soundly, she turned and listened for the dogs. If there was a threat, they would bark. Hearing silence, she slid carefully out of her sleep sack and added several pieces of wood to the fire. She lit a thick branch and held it up as she turned towards the tree line. Reaching up to turn on her headlamp, she scanned the horizon and saw nothing. She looked to the dogs and noticed several eyeing the darkness, their ears perked up, chests puffed out.

She walked to Aphrodite, "What do you see, girl? Is there something out there?"

Aphrodite looked around, sniffing at the air for a long while until she laid down, resting her head on Bo's foot. The musher stroked her new leader's neck, whispering to her,

"Good girl. Thank you for keeping us safe."

Aphrodite licked Bo's hand before releasing a heavy sigh and closing her eyes. With a final scratch of the head, Bo stood and moved back to the shelter with Rudy. It was time to get some sleep, or she would pay the price tomorrow when her little ball of energy woke up excited to do the big downhill portion of the trail that was coming up. Yes, tomorrow was going to be fun.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The Homestead

It had been five days since Bo and Rudy had left for Anchorage and the big day was upon the rest of the team. The Homestead was buzzing with family and friends who were prepping for the trip. Even their newest friends had offered to come and help. While Molly feared they may just be in the way, Mary insisted they were the next generation for the team and they needed to learn.

The dogs were barking and running around in the yard. They knew it was time. The core veteran dogs Bo had left behind had been restless all week. They had been through this before and they were letting the rookies know that if they were hitched to that center line, it was time to put up or shut up.

Lauren was manning the clipboard with multiple lists she had made with Bo to be sure that nothing was left behind. Kyle had an additional list from the Kennel she was using to be sure to cross reference with her friend's. Between the two of them, they would be sure everything made it from the Kennel's company trucks to the team trucks.

"I think that's everything, Lauren!" Tosh yelled out.

"I think my list is finished too, Lauren!" Mark added.

LJ walked to the blonde, "Just the dogs then."

"Looks that way," Lauren said, double checking to be sure every box had a red check in it before she gave LJ a nod, "Okay. Let's get the crates on the veterinary transport and get the dogs loaded!"

Everyone walked to Kyle to grab a lead or two before heading for the yard to get the dogs while LJ, Mark, Tosh, Patrick and Jake helped load the crates, tying them to each other and the truck walls to be sure they wouldn't shift during transport. Lauren smirked at Patrick as he walked past, her friend asking,

"What?" Patrick asked.

Lauren shrugged, "Nothing."

"That wasn't nothing."

Lauren chuckled, "And neither is he."

Patrick grinned, "Okay, so it's not nothing but… well, we're still… exploring the situation."

"Oh, I'll bet you're exploring all right," Lauren laughed, as her friend scowled and walked away. It was only fair that Lauren get a dig in here and there. After all, Patrick hadn't let her live it down when he found out about Bo.

Scout approached Lauren, "Doctor Lewis, are you sure it's okay that I ride with you and Kyle?"

Lauren smiled, "Of course, Scout. Please remember, that I have no problem with you – none of us do. You were here to repay a debt to Bo and you did so by saving her life. You are welcome here. You're one of the family. Bo wouldn't have it any other way. I know you were hoping to run this race with Bo but having your expertise with the dogs on the Veterinary teams will be a great help. They're really cracking down at the checkpoints this year, so they need every qualified pair of hands."

"I'm happy to help," Scout said, offering a slight bow to the doctor, "I've brought my supplies and medicines. I made as many batches of my salves and remedies as I could make in the past week. Thank you again for the use of your home lab."

Lauren smiled, "It's not much right now, but it gets the job done. Thank you for your efforts, Scout."

"You're most welcome, Doctor… I mean, Lauren."

They exchanged smiles, Lauren patting his shoulder before they parted ways. When the trucks were finally loaded, everyone jumped in except those who would arrive just for the start and stay through clean up after the race. Led by a very loud Kenzi, those who were staying behind until race day cheered the lead team's trucks off before popping a bottle of champagne. They shared a toast and exchanged plans and pleasantries until their plastic glasses were empty, then headed back to town.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Pre-Race Meeting, Anchorage

Bo sat in the familiar pre-race meeting room with the rest of the mushers, her little sister firing off a list of all-star names in hushed tones, stating every single musher's resume, their best finishes and advice for how to beat each. Most people might think of the ramblings of a ten-year-old child as nonsense, but Bo knew better. Rudy had a real sense about these things and Bo was never one to ignore information. She would soak it all up and use it when it would give her an advantage.

"When is this meeting gonna start, anyway? It's getting super-hot in here."

Bo smiled, looking down at her watch, "That's all of the heavy breathing and body heat coming from some of these hot-headed guys. The meeting starts in a few minutes."

Just as the words left Bo's mouth, the race officials walked into the room.

"Are those the men in charge?"

Bo laughed, "Men, yes. Men always seem to be in charge of everything, don't they? Unfortunately, the men in charge are doing a shit job of running the last great race on earth and so are a lot of these mushers. They've turned it into a money grab instead of what it used to be."

"Sister?" Rudy asked, leaning out on her chair to look at Bo's face. She looked angry, "Sister? Are you mad at me?"

Bo's expression softened, "Not at you, Roo. Never at you."

"I wouldn't say never. You've been mad at me before."

Bo smiled, placing a gentle hand on her cheek, "That's not mad. That's worried, fearful, frustrated, annoyed or disappointed, but never angry or mad."

"Oh. I hate when you're disappointed. I don't like letting you down."

Bo shrugged, "People will always let each other down once in a while, Roo. We're not perfect. We're only human. The big thing is trying to come through when it's really important."

Rudy smiled, "Like wedding plans!"

Bo chuckled, "Yes, like wedding plans. But remember what I said…"

"As long as Lauren is smiling and happy to be marrying my badass sister, nothing else matters."

"Language!" Bo said, laughing.

"What? It's true! And when all these men get their asses kicked by you, they'll know it too. Win number four coming up! Open the record books, men! Bo Dennis is mushing her way into history this month."

Bo laughed, "Easy there, slick. I haven't won yet and I never think that far ahead. Anything can happen in this race. I could bust my sled, lose my team, too many dogs could get sick or hurt… a lot can happen, Roo, so the golden rule of this race is never get too cocky," she nodded to the men sitting opposite them,

"That's for them to do. They constantly slap each others' backs and congratulate each other for pushing their dogs beyond what's healthy for them. If their sled isn't winning, they whip their dogs and if that doesn't work, they drop them like they're a bad habit."

"That's not nice," Rudy said, eyeing a large man as if he were the worst creature on earth.

"No, it's not."

The sisters turned to the voice of one of the men at the front of the room who called the meeting to order,

"Good evening mushers and welcome to Iditarod 2021!"

Everyone cheered while Bo and Rudy sat still, the younger Dennis looking around the room. She leaned over to Bo,

"Glenn Kerr looks nervous. I heard a lady talking to another lady saying that one of his dogs got sick with kennel cough, but he still brought him on the truck with his other dogs. He told the vet he didn't think it was anything serious, but the vet said it was kennel cough and so all his dogs are quarantined now. I don't want to gossip since it could just be rumor, but if he has to drop out, that's one less guy for you to beat."

Bo sighed, "Please tell me our team didn't park anywhere near his team."

Rudy smiled, "Nope. Kurt and Big Jon made sure to park really far away from everyone else. They don't want anyone to know you don't have Harper."

Bo nodded, turning to the director when she heard her name,

"We're glad you're here to focus fully on the race this year. I think it's nice for all of us to relax and know that no one will be shooting at you, Bo."

A voice from the crowd shouted, "And we don't have to worry about running right next to her! Fair race this year, Bo!"

The brunette focused her eyes on the director, her jaw set, hands balled into fists. The director paused before asking,

"Do you wish to respond, Bo?"

The musher stood, using her knife to slice off a piece of apple, "Would the person who made that comment care to stand and be recognized by me?"

No one stood, but a voice from a young woman nearby looked up at Bo, "It took nerves of steel to put yourself out in the open like that knowing people were trying to kill you. If none of them had the nerve to run next to you last year, that's on them. From where I sit - just proves even more you deserved the win… especially all you went through - losing dogs to those tumors, burns from the fire set in your hometown, the fact that the fire was intended to kill your team and your family. Nerves of steel."

Bo gave the girl a nod, but another man yelled out,

"Still put all of us at risk. We've got families."

Bo moved slightly to her left, "Dan. Really? If your family is so important to you, what were you doing at Shirley's with Gwen two weeks ago?"

The room burst into laughter, "If your family is so important to you, why do you run in this race. We all know the worst can happen out there."

The room grew silent.

"You all had the chance to vote me out of the race last year, yet you stood by me… celebrated me after I won. I believe the word you used Dan, was courageous. Now you hide among the others in this room to call the 2020 race unfair?"

Bo laughed, when he didn't reply, "Well, at least I know the truth now. You all expected me to be killed, leaving the race open for any of you to win. Well boys… and ladies… here I am. Come take the trophy. No excuses this year. Some of you know that Harper was badly injured defending me and her kin during a bear attack this year… a bear attack that was caused by one of Big Jim's former followers dropping a bear cub into the middle of my team. She's the best dog to ever run in this race and you all know it."

Bo's voice quivered but not out of grief, this was anger,

"This year, I offer you another gift. Harper's too far gone to run again, but Spirits know she wants to…"

"Damn Spirit talk again," a large white man laughed.

Bo steeled her anger and continued, "… but she can trot, so I'll tell you what – I'll hitch her to my max team of 16 and drop her after a mile if she doesn't want to keep going. My team won't be able to go any faster than Harper can. I'll even run her at lead," Bo chuckled, "Let's see if you can beat me with a head start."

"Bo, I think everyone knows that's not necessary. Do what's best for your dogs."

The musher turned on the director, "We go way back, Mr. Director, but you and your board all know that we've got an image problem. That image problem has come from mushers in this very room running this race for the wrong reason," she turned to the room, "Nick, Bart, Connor, Seth, Markus, Seamus – you've all been called out by PETA and company for your training and racing practices. I'm asking the board right now – before next season – to implement new rules created by the veterinarians and representatives from the critics for how dogs are birthed, raised, trained and raced."

Bo turned back to the Director, "We're losing sponsors. Personally, I could give two shits about sponsors or prize money and you all know it, but this race costs money to run, so we have to at least make that much. Mushing used to be an honorable sport. Now, we have people who discard dogs like an old pair of shoes if they're not winning. Well, if you raise them properly, they can be sold as good pets or even sled dogs used just to get kids to school, pick up groceries or go for a joy ride."

Bo shook her head, "This race and its mushers need an attitude adjustment before it's too late. I love this sport, but the bad eggs in this race are destroying not just the race, but the sport and let's face it – we all know that these dogs – when raised properly – love to run. It's at the very core of their being. Don't turn what they love into a job. Don't raise kids to love sledding just because they can be a champion."

She turned to Rudy, "This is my little sister, Rudy. I hope her passion for mushing never goes away. I hope it's always fun and adventurous for her and her team," she turned back to the group, "Because if it is, she'll kick all of our asses one day."

Rudy stood, holding her fists over her head, "Rudy Dennis, sister of Bo Dennis. Nice to meet you all. Remember my name because I'll be coming for you one day soon."

The group laughed, one man starting the chant, "Roo-dy! Roo-dy! Roo-dy!"

Bo shook her head, lifting her little sister up and turning her upside down. Rudy giggled, until Bo sat her down once more and finished speaking,

"Say what you want about me - you all know I don't care about that either. If you want to learn how to raise a dog and get them to perform without whipping the crap out of them, the Bo Dennis School of Mushing is open for business this spring."

With that, she gave a mock bow to the director and took her seat. The director, flustered, spoke with hesitation,

"Well, I believe Miss Dennis has given us… all of us… quite a bit to think about. We'll discuss these items after the 2021 season at our next board meeting…"

Dan stood, turning to Bo and giving her a nod before turning back to the director "No, you won't. We'll discuss it right now," He turned back to Bo again, "Feel free to record this so you can play it back to me next year if you feel the need…"

Rudy pulled Bo's phone from her pocket and immediately began to record the man. Everyone looked at the youngster who looked at Bo and shrugged,

"What? He said you could."

Bo went to stop her, but Dan intervened,

"No, Bo. She's right. I said it. I'd just prefer it not end up on social media."

"Uh, Dan. I think you know that me and social media have never met, so no worries there," Bo smiled.

Dan nodded, "I'm aware, Bo, but it doesn't mean that people don't still talk about you. I mean, you've been a trending topic for three days."

"Trend what now?" Bo asked, confused.

The young female musher who had supported Bo earlier smiled, "I'll explain later."

Bo nodded, "Thanks."

Dan continued, "Mr. Director, Bo is absolutely right. This race is in trouble and I think that a lot of that is because we don't have mushers in charge of the race. Not one of you has ever driven a sled. Not one of you know the history that Bo is speaking of, but I'll bet many of us know people… especially native people… that are in possession of detailed memories of this race and its history,"

He shook his head, "We are here to run a race that is supposed to honor the spirit of Togo, the dog who laid his life on the line to save musher and team so that Kaasen could get the serum to the humans who needed it. Balto only got the credit because he was the lead dog when they came back into town. Kaasen didn't want the credit – he went to save lives and his dogs went because he asked them to. That's the spirit of the Iditarod."

He paused, looking at Bo, "She understands that – she was told the stories before she ever stepped foot on a sled, so as I sat here listening to her, the irony of what she was saying hit me."

He looked back to the director, "We run a race in honor of Togo and the dogs who saved humans, yet in doing so, some of us are abusing the shit out of our dogs so they can give the humans what – some trophy and a pot of money?"

He shook his head, "If we're honoring canines for the unconditional effort and love they gave us, this race should be all about them… not us. The trophy, the medals – they shouldn't go to the musher – they should go to the dogs. The recognition should always put the dogs in front of the mushers.

He turned to the press at the back of the room, "I know it's easier for you guys to use a one-name headline over a sixteen-name headline, but it's the right thing to do. It's also important to remember that if they could talk, the lead dogs would tell you they're insulted that you're printing their names or the mushers name and not the rest of their team."

He turned back to the directors, "There should be strict training regulations and there should be on-site inspections, a citizen reporting process which we actually listen to and communications with animal welfare organizations. They need to be brought into our world, not kept in the dark. They need to understand that running a race doesn't cause harm to the dog – people do. I mean, what are we hiding from if we truly have the best interest of the dogs at the very core of this sport?"

"Here! Here!" A voice came from the back.

Dan sighed, "I hate to say it, but you guys get paid year-round for the job you do. That's more money the sponsors must dish out. No one has power over you because you're in charge – just like the government. We elect officials to office and every time one of them retires or is voted out of office, we still have to pay their salaries plus the salaries of the new guy coming in. They vote on their own damn raises and we're the employers paying their paychecks! It's all crazy if you ask me. You may not carry a paycheck away when you quit, but you're still making this race a big business decision. I vote for Bo's method where former mushers are running the race, but I add that they get paid only a race stipend after the race agreed upon by each musher."

"Here! Here!" Several voices chimed in, "We work year-round and may get no money out of this race! You work year-round and get paid no matter what! It's not fair!"

The Director waved his hand at the room, "Again, we have business to attend to today. These are big decisions that will require discussion by the board. We'll discuss these items…"

"When we're not here?" Dan asked, turning to the room, "What do you way we all boycott the race until the board resigns?"

Bo stood, "I support Dan's plan."

"Me too!" said the young woman.

Other mushers stood one after another until only a handful remained seated. The director turned, walking back to the other directors while the mushers remained standing and waited. Eventually, the man turned to the mushers,

"The directors agree, in principle, to your proposal. Understand that for most of us, this is our sole form of employment. We'll need time to find jobs…"

"Get in the unemployment line like we do! Better yet, go take some minimum wage job like we do so that we can still train our dogs to race. That's how you've gotten paid for decades!"

The room erupted into shouts. Bo sighed, knowing that she had started this mess. It was time for her to bring it to an end. She stood once more, giving a whistle to the room,

"Sorry to interrupt, but isn't this blame game a little counterproductive? Who is interested in serving as a volunteer on a newly formed Iditarod Committee?"

"I think my wife would want to be a part of that! She volunteers for other stuff but this one actually feeds our dogs and our family. Besides, we get into arguments all the time when I remind her that my dogs aren't pets," He pulled off his hat, lowering his head, "I'd love to attend your school this spring, Bo."

"Oh, I wasn't really serious about…"

Rudy stood, pulling the papers from the clipboard except for one blank piece and waving it to the room, as she spoke,

"Just write your name on this clipboard with a phone number and email address where we can reach you and we'll be sure to send you information on the school sometime after my sisters' wedding."

The room became eerily quiet before Dan yelled, "You gettin' hitched, Bo?"

The brunette shook her head at Rudy before she looked up to Dan and nodded, "In a few weeks."

"He's a lucky man, Bo."

Rudy scowled and moved to stand and correct him, but Bo stopped her, "Pass the clipboard around and we'll be in touch. Thank you for your interest," Bo said, leaning over to whisper to Rudy, "Shhh… these people are not my friends, Roo. My wedding is a private matter for family and friends, okay?"

"Oh. Sorry," Rudy said, frowning.

Bo hated when her little sister was sad but explaining hatred would take a long time. Right now, she needed to get this race business taken care of,

"Okay, so Mr. Director, can you pass another clipboard for committee volunteers?" she turned to the group, "Anyone want to chair the committee?"

No one moved, so Rudy turned to Bo, "I'll be right back. Gotta pee."

"Roo…" Bo began, but her sister was on the move. She turned back to the group, "Okay, so chairperson to be determined. This newly formed committee will come together for the first time in April 2021 with the current Board of Directors to review the By-Laws and Race Rules. At the conclusion of that meeting, the Board of Directors will be retired and the new volunteer committee will take over. All in favor?"

Bo was shocked to see every hand in the room go up… including those belonging to the board of directors. She gave the board head a nod before turning back to the group,

"Does anyone have any connections to PETA or any of these organizations that are opposed to the race?"

Pete stood, "I know that my veterinarian has expressed interest in setting guidelines for dogs. I can ask him if he would be interested. He may know some people from animal rights groups too."

Bo nodded, "That would be great. I think we should have an odd number of people from each group so that votes don't always end up a tie. Two more veterinarians, three activists, three mushers, three people from the business world since we'll still have to have bookkeeping done, three citizens and three trainers and three animal behavioralists since they can best explain to the animal rights activists the mentality of our dogs."

A hand went up. Bo looked at the director who called on the reporter, "I'm Gwen from the Susitna Daily News. So, we can print all of this as the official changes that will be made moving forward?"

The director looked at his peers and turned back to her, "This sounds like a great start in building a stronger, safer Iditarod, but I don't think we've actually agreed on everything that needs to be decided. For now, if this group agrees, I think you can print that the Iditarod will bring many changes to its leadership and all involved in the race beginning in 2022. Currently, we are seeking volunteers who are interested in serving on the Iditarod committee that will bring those changes to fruition."

Gwen nodded, "And will there still be a purse for the race champion?"

Tommy spoke up, "I don't know about ya'll, but I can't make the trip from Iceland to here if someone isn't offering me money to transport my dogs here. What we do is expensive. Hell, I don't think I could board all the dogs I board," he turned to Gwen, "Remember that just like your pets, all of our dogs have to have regular vet checkups, they need land, food and water. What you don't understand is that our breed of dog needs to run – not go for a short walk around the block but run – long and hard. If you don't run them, they will take out that energy on their fellow canines. Because we have to run them – and let's be honest, we're humans so we can only be out there for so long – we have to run them together. Because we can't keep up with them on foot, they pull us behind them. They run, we make sure they run safe."

Another musher added, "We also have to have the gear to hook them to the sled, protective booties, belly and genital protectors for every dog – sometimes duplicates of those depending on the weather. These dogs are ten times as expensive as any pet. More if you have thirty or more dogs like most of us do."

"Excuse me… what?" Gwen asked.

He scrunched up his face, "What?"

"You said genital protection?" she asked, thinking she misunderstood him.

Bo laughed, "You know, PETA criticized mushers based on a lot of the gossip, but I don't know of one person here who has ever had someone from an animal rights organization actually come to their property to meet face-to-face and have a musher explain what we actually do for our dogs."

Gwen nodded, "So this… genital protection… is to make sure they can still give your business puppies?"

"My business? I don't run my dogs as a business, Miss. The genital protection is because snow is cold and I don't know about you, but the idea of dragging my bare ass pussy through the snow for hours on end isn't something I would be comfortable with and neither are my dogs. The skin on that area of any mammals' body is very thin and filled with blood. If it freezes – male or female – the pain is excruciating and they can go into shock… not to mention losing their genitalia. For males, it also means losing the organ through which they pee."

Bo smirked at the red face of the reporter, "So you see, most of us take care of our dogs. We use the protective gear they need to stay safe. If you left it up to the dogs, they would run until they froze to death which is the reason we tie them up, but give them enough lead to move around. They don't know they'll die from exhaustion if they don't rest. They just want to run – it's their instinct."

Gwen nodded, "And you would invite us to your kennel for us to see how your dogs are treated?"

Dan immediately responded, "Bo would. You are more than welcome to show up unannounced and be given the same access her customers would be given. I've been there, so I know…"

Dan was interrupted, "…however, if you're looking for an interview or details about care… if you really want to learn about sled dogs, an appointment would be required."

"And you are?" Gwen asked.

"Mary Dennis. The Dennis Family Matriarch."

The room grew silent as Mary walked to Bo, taking a seat beside her while Rudy crawled onto her lap, "My daughter tells me you seek a volunteer chairperson for a newly formed Iditarod Committee. I would like to volunteer for the position. I am a native from the North Slope who has traveled by sled from birth. I drove my first sled at age three. I was Ysabeau's teacher."

"Excuse me? Ysabeau?" Gwen asked.

Bo waved, "That's me."

"Ysabeau?" Gwen asked again to be sure the pronunciation was correct.

Bo nodded, "Yes. Difficult to pronounce and very formal, so like most people, I took a nickname."

"I have been away from the race world for some time due to…" she looked at Bo, "…unforeseen circumstances. This is my first Iditarod in a little over ten years. I must say that as I have walked around, I am appalled by the condition of some of your animals and even more appalled by the feed you plan to use. I believe I have knowledge that can help and I offer that knowledge and experience to this most prestigious body."

Dan shrugged, standing up again, "She has my vote. I mean, she taught Bo and we all know her dogs not only run great – they look awesome. They look like they're having fun."

Bobby stood, "My dogs took off on me when the ice cracked two weeks ago. I let go of the sled and they ran. I had to haul my ass out and call for help. Damn near froze to death. Lost two toes. Bo's dogs would never leave her behind. Hell, Harper damn near died for her just as Bo would for her. No reason we can't all train our dogs to do the same…" he turned to the group, "… change can be a good thing…" turning to the board of directors, "… for everyone. And if we do this right, we won't need to rely so much on the politics of sponsorship."

Rudy stood up, "And kids like me will still have an Idit-rod to run in!"

A collective 'awww' rushed through the meeting room as Rudy ran back to Mary's lap before a rousing round of applause began again.

The director stood, "Okay folks, I think we're off to a good start for the 2022 Iditarod, but we've got a race to get ready for this year and I know you all have things to do with your respective teams. Let's say we get to the rules and guidelines for this race. I'm going to start with a few issues on the course."

He nodded to a colleague who projected the course map onto the screen, "There are some issues with both the southern and northern routes. We notified everyone by mail last week, but with mail running slow, we also added the notification to your race packets. That said, by now you must realize we've been forced to use the Gold Trail this year due to snow conditions. As you know, we have snow today. If you don't live in the area, that has been the case most days since October. In other words, we are still in full-on winter here in Alaska."

Mary could see the panic on Bo's face, so she gave her the map information and whispered,

"It's simple, Child. You're running half the course, then turning back to the start line. You know how these men love to be dramatic and make things more complicated than they are. There are less official checkpoints, but you would have blown through most of them anyway based on what Lauren told me about last year. You must realign your checkpoint strategy and pass it on to your human team. Having done the Quest 200 and living off-grid as you have, this is your race to lose, Child. No one is better suited to this course."

Bo chuckled, "No pressure, Mom."

Mary smiled, "Not at all."

Rudy looked at Bo, "Sister, I have to go do my map over again! It took me three days to do it the first time! I'll never get finished! How will I know where you are?"

Bo smiled, pulling out the page with the map on it, "Because I'm going to get you one of these and you're going to draw a line at the turn-around on your map. You see? It's a loop, so we're not going all the way to Nome this year," Bo said, pulling out her phone, "I'm going to text Kurt to get his hands on a bunch of copies of the race map… unless you already told him?"

Mary shook her head, "I came right here after I saw the change. I thought you should be the first to know."

"Thanks, Mom."

"Of course, Child." Mary smiled, "I'm so proud of you, Ysabeau."

Bo smiled, "Well, hold off on that until I actually win this thing."

"Win or lose, it won't change the fact that I respect and admire the woman you've become," Mary said, leaning over and kissing her daughter on the cheek.

Bo turned her attention to the screen as the race director continued,

"If you look at the bullet points on the first page, you'll note that the deep snow and inability for us to clear the trail through the Alaska Range will result in the following changes. First, there will be no ceremonial start this year. The town of Anchorage simply cannot take their plows off the roads for two days to keep the trail from here to Willow clear. Their citizens are used to the normal crowds, but bringing them to the trail would force businesses to close. There will still be spectators staying in the hotels and using the restaurants but they will have to find their way via sled or snow machine."

Jimmy called out, "Director, are you saying we're going to have to deal with tin dogs scaring our teams out on the course?"

He shook his head, "Not any more than usual. You know we can't control every mile of space out there, but the race officials in and around the checkpoints will have barriers set up when we let them know racers are approaching their areas. They will take them down when the majority of mushers and their dogs have passed through town."

"Next item is the start. Willow has had a rough winter and the center cannot host the race. I believe most of you have heard about the damage to the center. With that said, donations are being collected at checkpoints from spectators and mushers to help them with renovations. That said, Deshka Landing will host the restart – or official start as it is this year. They're five miles from Willow, so it's not that much of a difference. Again, they cannot handle spectators, so the start will be broadcast live. You will see camera crews along the start trail, so feel free to wave to your family and loved ones if you feel it's not a distraction to your start. Again, family and spectators can watch everything from the listed restaurants, bars, schools, centers or hotel lobbies that have agreed to air the race 24/7 on large screen TV's or projection screens."

He looked down at his notes, then nodded to a colleague to advance the slide on the projector,

"Okay, here are the checkpoint closures. Note that these will not be official checkpoints, but if you see a lantern hanging there, volunteers are present to help with any of your needs. These are experienced volunteers who have worked for us before, but they will not have access to everything they usually would. Again – getting restocked in these areas will be difficult because of how remote they are. The volunteers will likely just have food, water, basic first aid kits and a satellite phone."

"Will there be veterinarians at those points?"

"No. Not unless there's a spare volunteer from that town who closes down their own business to volunteer. Again, it will depend on when you go through the area as to whether or not they're still open. Closing down once is one thing, but because you're passing each checkpoint twice, we can't ask them to remain. Remember that these are volunteers who lose money to help us with the race. They don't get any pay, stipends, special perks or prize money."

Sarah stood up, "Mary, I'd like to suggest that be placed on the agenda for the first meeting. Since we're no longer going to pay director's salaries, perhaps we could give a small stipend or at least a nice gift card to the volunteers who provide professional services."

"I will make note, Child. Thank you," Mary smiled, putting pen to paper.

"Okay, so official checkpoint closures will be Yentna, Takonta and Flat. You're going to loop around at Flat and head back so you're only talking about twenty miles between – no need to have another veterinary check at that point but please be sure to drop a dog before the loop if they're not doing well. No sense forcing them to run another twenty miles if they can stop sooner. Any questions?"

The room was silent as people studied the maps and made notes, so the Director continued,

"Okay then, there will be three mandatory layovers this year. You'll be required to take a twenty-four hour rest during which every dog must be approved to continue anywhere between Skwentna and Iditarod including those two checkpoints. We're consolidating most of our veterinary staff in that area since you'll pass thru it twice. That rest stop must be taken before the return at Flat. Any questions?"

Again, the room was silent, so he continued,

"You must take an eight-hour rest at any official checkpoint between the Rohn to Rohn stretch including either of the Rohn stops. On the normal route, this would have been the stretch from Shageluk to Kaltag. Questions?"

After a short pause was met with silence, he finished,

"The final eight-hour rest will be at Skwentna on the return trip. Again, on a normal route this rest would have been taken in White Mountain. Now, if you go to the full list of checkpoints, you'll see there are eight checkpoints marked with an 'N', then the turnaround at Flat, then another eight checkpoints to the finish marked with an 'S'. These letters – N and S – represent the northern and southern direction of travel. If you need to call for help, please be sure to tell us if you are traveling north or south. Again – are there any questions?"

The director gave a nod, "Okay – our total race mileage this year is eight hundred and thirty-two miles. If you want to add on the twenty-mile loop at Flat for some reason, you can do that math in your head," He chuckled, "But I would remind you that your mileage may vary and the distance may feel longer because of the deep snow out there. That's the main reason we've decreased the mileage."

He pulled up several pictures, "These are pictures taken by the trail crew earlier today. They have been out there for three weeks, clearing the trail. Every time it's somewhat clear, it snows. We've pulled them from the trail and left it for each of you to deal with. Be sure your dogs are all wearing sweaters and any other layers you feel you must provide. The packet we mailed recommended additional booties over your two thousand this year. If you didn't get the letter and need help with that, we are stocking booties you can purchase at the twenty-four hour checkpoint."

Gwen raised her hand, "Sorry to interrupt. Did you say two thousand booties?"

All of the mushers turned to face the reporter as the Director answered, "Yes. They're required to be on the dogs feet. They get worn out, they stretch out and fall off. They get wet and you have to change them. With a team of sixteen dogs, each having four feet, two thousand is at least what you'll need."

"Wowa," She said, her eyebrows raised, "And those sweaters?"

Bo raised her hand, "In addition to the genital protection we discussed earlier. Have you ever petted a dog on the belly?"

"Yes."

"Then you know there's no fur there. Bare skin can become frostbitten. A dog's vital organs are there, so must be protected. We use sweaters and waterproof shells. In the deep snow, their chests will also be pushing through cold snow. Because they have fur and they're working so hard, they will likely stay warm – our dogs naturally hold more body heat, retain more muscle mass and hydration than their human counterparts. The last day of the week, the humans have to do more work because the dogs will be tired. It's also important to note that dogs pulling a sled isn't dangerous – especially with modern day gear. These dogs were bred in the working class and are built to pull. It's their instinct. The dangerous part is not giving your dogs enough rest. Like humans, they don't do well without it. In these conditions, longer rest intervals or more frequent short rest intervals will be important. It's all about reading what your team needs which means knowing each dog and what they're capable of."

Bo nodded to the director and took her seat. Mary leaned in and whispered, "Are you always this vocal in these meetings?"

Bo smiled, "Never. This is a new Bo… I'm not sure who she is or why she won't shut up. I'll unpack that later."

The man behind Bo and Mary leaned in, "I'll vouch for that. Bo never says a word in these meetings. Hell, she never says a word to anyone the whole damn race unless they talk to her first."

Bo turned and smiled, "Merv. Good luck this year."

"Thanks Bo. Running a team of three year olds, so I'll need it. We'll see if they last the distance."

"Wow. What happened to the rest of your team?"

He shrugged, nodding across the room, "Divorce. Ex got the dogs and her new boyfriend is running them."

"Ouch," Bo replied.

Merv nodded, "Worst ouch ever. He lost the dogs soon after he got here."

Bo laughed, "They ran to you?"

"You'd better believe it. I'm hoping I can use that to my advantage," He smiled.

"I'm sure you can. Can't believe you're divorced. What happened?"

He shrugged again, "Look at him, Bo. Younger model. Comes fully equipped with a big red truck and enough cash to fill the bed of it."

"That doesn't sound like the Pam I know."

Merv nodded, "You'll understand when you see her. I'll just say she moved out six months ago and she's due in a month."

"I'm so sorry, Merv."

He smiled, "Just want you to know it's not always the guys fault, Bo."

She nodded, "Touche."

"Congratulations on you and Lauren getting hitched. She's quite the catch, Bo."

She lowered her eyes, but Merv added, "I know why you didn't say. Don't worry – that's not something I'm about to tell this group. Too many haters in here and that little one deserves her bliss until she meets the real world."

Bo smiled, "Thanks, Merv. You've always been good to me."

"Judge not lest ye be judged, Bo. Pretty simple if you ask me."

"You're a good man."

He looked across the room at his replacement, "I hope my ex realizes that one day."

Bo nodded, "Would you take her back?"

"As a business partner, maybe. As a wife, doubtful but God knows I'm still in love with that woman. At least she didn't take my boys from me."

"They're living with you?" Bo asked.

He nodded, "She got the house and kennels, I got the kids and an invitation from my brother-in-law to live with him and my sister. They've got the land. I built the kennels in a week, went on the hunt for new dogs the week after."

"Oh, so they're super young and unfamiliar? Are you sure this is a good idea?"

"Hearing about the course change, it's a better idea than ever. This is the last race of the season, so I have to figure out who I can breed this sprint. I can't afford to buy more dogs."

Bo nodded, "Well, be careful out there, Merv. If you need help, I've got some extra volunteers with me that could be on emergency standby."

"Appreciate that, Bo. I've got a team of five and two of them are teenagers."

Bo smiled, "Why don't you stop by and ask your buddy Mark. He'll introduce you to some of my people and you can figure out with them how you can contact them if you need help out on the course. With the snow as deep as it is, you should be better safe than sorry."

"You're right, but I really don't plan to finish. I just want to see how they perform with all of the commotion at the start, running next to other sleds and being on an unfamiliar trail. They've done two smaller races, but you know this is the real indicator of a teams' worth. If they don't pass the test, I'll sell them as work dogs and start over."

Bo nodded, "Let me know before you go selling them off. I may be able to help you."

He laughed, "As the reluctant teacher?"

"You caught that, huh?"

Merv nodded, "It's a good thing you're offering, Bo. A real good thing. The race – the dogs – will be better for your work."

"I hope so," Bo said, mumbling to herself, "I think I'm going to regret this new Bo's big mouth."

As Bo turned back to the director, he finished the information about the course,

"Knowing that some of you rely more on your dogs than you do peddle power, we've made the rounds through the crowd and asked for volunteers to do non-emergency rescues by helicopter. We've got four volunteers who will do airlifts – weather permitting, of course – to pull teams from the course if need be. On the way out, you will see flare guns. There will be a watch at each checkpoint and residents of the community have been put on alert to report any flares they see in the NIGHT sky. I cannot emphasize enough that we will not pull non-emergent rescues during daylight hours. It's too hard to see a flare in the glare of the sun this time of year, so park your sled and do what you can to keep warm and dry until you can launch the flare."

The director's wife held up the box in the back, "There's another box at the other exit. One for each sled."

"Thank you, Elizabeth. Now, if you have an emergency, you radio your team as you always would and at their request, we'll send emergency crews with qualified medical personnel on board to your location."

He shuffled through his notes, "Back to the trail… the current trouble spots – and by that, I mean the snow is particularly deep – are Yentna Station to Skwentna…"

"Geez, that's only the third checkpoint," said a voice from the crowd.

"As I said, the snow is deep, and we've got four volunteer choppers on the course. You will have to peddle to save your dogs energy, so if you're not in the proper mindset and physical condition to do so, consider dropping out and sending up your flare."

He turned back to the map, but then turned back to the group, "And when the new committee is running this race next year, remember that the one thing you simply cannot control is weather. You can hire all the trail groomers in the world, but if it's snowing right behind them, there's only so much they can do across a thousand miles, particularly around the Range."

Turning back to the map, he continued, "Other deep spots as of now are Finger Lake to Rainy Pass and the entire Nikolai to Takotna region. If you don't like hearing that news, focus on being thankful that we're not running Unalakleet to Shaktoolik or White Mountain."

He smiled, "The plus side is that all of the lakes appear to be frozen solid but in the Alaska Range where the snow melt has begun in the higher elevations, there's nowhere for the water to go on the ground with the all of that white stuff built up and acting like a dam, so expect some ice or if it's warmer, flooding."

He turned off the projector, "There are reports of a bridge out at Rainy Pass on the sharp right downhill side. The latest report we've received is that the trail manager has his staff working on that right now. Approach with caution. They will have orange flags out until it's repaired."

The young musher raised a hand, "I'm sorry, Sir. This is my first Iditarod. Can you point out to me on the map exactly where that is?"

Heads spun around, Bo sharing a glance with her Mom before she whispered, "Has she never run any parts of the trail? Please tell me she's not running this race blind."

"Speak with her, Child. Keep her alive."

Bo shook her head, "I'll do what I can Mom, but…"

"I'll talk to her," Rudy said, jumping off Mary's lap,

"No, Roo… shit," Bo sighed.

The director wished everyone safe travels and reminded them they could stay with individual questions, then dismissed the meeting.

Several mushers walked towards the Dennis family, but once Bo realized they were all there to meet Mary, she stood and walked behind her. Taking a deep breath, she thought this would be a good opportunity to relax until her mom was ready to go, but Rudy was dragging the young musher over to her and that reporter, Gwen, was right behind her.

"Hi. Your sister insisted."

"No problem. Can you give me a minute with this reporter?"

"Of course."

Gwen stepped up, extending a hand to Bo, but Bo spoke instead of shaking her hand, "Can I help you?"

The reporter was clearly shaken by Bo's direct approach and didn't speak, so Bo tried to hurry her along,

"I'm sorry, but after the changes that were just announced, I must meet with my team to consider changes to my race strategy, and I need to speak with this fellow musher. Can we hurry this along?"

"Oh, of course. Is there a better time for us to talk, Miss Dennis? Maybe later tonight?"

Bo chuckled, "You did listen to that meeting, right? I'm about to run close to 900 miles on a sled. It's not like riding in a car – particularly in the snow depths we were talking about. When he mentioned us having to peddle, he didn't mean a bike. He meant we have to run and push a sled loaded down with gear through deep snow. I need a meeting, food and sleep."

Bo turned towards the younger musher, but suddenly turned back to the reporter, "Actually, get dressed and come with me."

Bo turned to Rudy, "Can you wait for mom and make sure that she makes it back to the team? I'm going to take our reporter friend for a little ride and talk to our young musher."

"Okay."

"Thanks, Roo."

Bo hooked her hand in the young musher's elbow and led her to the exit, the reporter following. They each grabbed a flare gun from the box, Bo noting that the reporter took one as well. She turned around,

"Put that back, please? They're for the mushers. Some are not present at this meeting. If they burn a flare, they'll need another gun. These are disposables, but there's a limited number."

"Oh. Apologies."

"First timer?" Bo asked.

"Yes. Actually, I was assigned to the race because my editor is a member of PETA."

"Great. I assume you are as well?"

"No, actually. But from what she told me, I thought it was an important story to write."

"And do you think she'll allow you to print the truth?"

"Excuse me?"

"Look – I have nothing against PETA. I believe their cause is a noble one, but they only see their side of the story. Their membership has already made up their minds what this race is based on what they've seen and heard in pictures of the bad actors. Of course, just like dog fighting rings, abortion clinics and political ads, you can always be sure that the person writing the story will publish the version they want to tell. Same with the history books. It always depends on whose version of history they want to sell. I'm asking if you can be a fully objective reporter. If you want to interview me, you'll have to interview my polar opposite to know if PETA is telling the truth or if I'm telling the truth. Then – and only then – can you write your story based on facts. Understand?"

Gwen nodded, pulling her hood down over her eyes. Bo turned from the reporter and leaned over to the young musher,

"So, what's your name?"

"Julie. Julie May."

"Well, it's nice to meet you Julie Julie May."

"No, it's just one Julie."

"I know. I'm joking," Bo replied, "What can I do for you?"

"Your sister said that you and your mom are afraid I'm going to get myself killed."

Bo nodded, "We are."

"I have as much right to run this race as you do."

"Yup. It's open to anyone. My question is, are your dogs properly trained, are you properly trained and are all of you properly equipped. If you looked around that room, you know that experienced mushers are shaken by the information presented about the course. You should reconsider."

"We are all adequately trained and equipped. I'm running."

"Adequately, huh? And you aren't running. You'll be standing on the sled rails for most of the race. Your dogs are running."

"What is your problem?" Julie snapped.

"My problem is someone bringing sixteen dogs out here to die because they thought they could run the Iditarod. If you were really listening in there, you would drop out now. Hell, even I'm nervous about running this race this year with what he just told us. Do you know how many times we've used the Gold Trail?"

"No."

Bo pulled her to a stop. She noted that Gwen turned and stopped, moving closer to hear their conversation, but Bo didn't care,

"None. Never have conditions been so bad to warrant this kind of change. We race from Willow to Nome. Period. Never a change since it started. The unofficial start always allows fans, reporters and volunteers to meet the mushers and their dogs… to learn about what we do and just a bit about how we do it. I've been driving a sled and raising dogs since I was three years old. Where I lived, our dogs were siblings and a sled was a family – canine and human – out to the grocery store to bring home food. It was too cold for an engine to run unless it was plugged in all day. Our grocery store was the tundra and included fish, whale and the occasional bear. What is your experience?"

"I've been training hard for three years. I bought my dogs as puppies when I was between the ages of twelve and fourteen. I'm eighteen and I'm old enough to run."

"Let me guess… you need the money."

"Yes! My mom lost her job in Skagway and my dad has cancer. We need the money."

"So, this is your solution?"

"I can do this!"

"You'll die. Your dogs will die and no one will be there to help your parents, so they'll either die of starvation or grief. Probably both," Bo said as she turned to walk away, angry. Lauren was better with stuff like this and she would know how to help with the dad's medical bills.

Julie gripped Bo's arm and pulled her back, but immediately released Bo when the point of the champion's knife shot a beam of reflected light into her eyes. Still, the girl composed herself and took a breath as Bo sheathed her knife,

"No, I won't! I will win this race and I will help my parents," Julie said, determined.

Bo laughed, "Well, you just froze at the sight of a knifepoint held a foot away from you by a human. There are much worse things out there than me and my knife."

"I know what's out there," Julie insisted.

"Listen to me. This is the 49th Iditarod. There are fifty-seven mushers in this race, a third of whom will be smart enough to either drop out after what was said in that meeting or drop out during the first half of the race. The rest might finish, but they will have dogs that become sick or injured. Most of those dogs will recover. At least one musher will be too stupid to quit and will become ill, injured or worse. Unfortunately, that musher's choice will endanger their team since they'll likely either drag their musher in the wrong direction and end up too far from help to get it or they'll toss their driver and end up lost and frozen to death. A dog doesn't know how to shoot a flare gun or use a phone!"

"I won't be that musher."

"Really?" Bo asked, "Because not one musher here, including me, thinks they'll be that musher! But one of us will be!"

"It won't be me!" Julie yelled.

Bo took a breath, trying to calm herself to bring reason to the conversation, "Have you run any of this course?"

"No, but I've run in the national park where there's all sorts of terrain."

Bo shook her head, "This course will cross the Alaska Range, Happy River Steps and the team-eating Dalzell Gorge. This year, because we're doing a loop, we'll have to cross each of those twice. That's something that's never been done. If you don't know what you're doing…" Bo stopped, shaking her head, "Well, when you're missing, at least I'll know where to send the search and rescue crew."

Bo turned to walk away, but Gwen stopped her, gripping her arm, "That's it? You're just going to walk away from her? You're going to let her run in this race?"

The brunette looked down, her anger flaring as she spoke through gritted teeth, "Please release my arm."

"You're going to just…"

"RELEASE MY ARM!" Bo shouted, drawing the attention of her team. Tamsin came running immediately,

"Release the musher, please."

"Not until she answers my question."

Tamsin pulled her badge and flashed it at the reporter, "I'll ask you for the fourth time, "Release her."

Gwen did as asked, lowering her head, "I'm sorry. You're seriously going to just let that kid run?"

Bo steeled her jaw, feeling Tamsin's presence just behind her right shoulder,

"She's eighteen… a legal adult. I'm a musher, not a race official. I'm also not her parents. The kid is desperate. Do you know what it's like to watch your parents struggle to pay bills?"

"No."

Bo nodded, "Must be nice. She's trying to help out in the only way she can."

"So, you're not going to try to stop her?" Gwen asked.

"I just did. She didn't listen."

"So that's it? You'll just give up and let her and her dogs get killed?"

Bo smirked, "Let me ask you. Are you more worried about her or the dogs?"

"Both."

"Yea, but your article will be about the dogs and how the girl was warned by a champion not to run. Of course, you may also say the champion didn't do enough."

"You could do more."

Bo looked over her shoulder at the girl. She was here on her own – just her and her dogs. It reminded Bo of her first few races only she won one as a solo human. She surprised everyone that year including herself. She was just hoping to place in the prize money so she could buy new traps, tools and materials to build a new sled to continue the search for her Mom. Now, as she stood looking at this youngster… well, she just didn't think Julie had it in her. She had dark circles under her eyes, her dogs were too thin for the start of the race and she was running out of fear and grief, not anger and rage. Julie running this race was just a very bad idea.

"We've got twenty-four hours. I've got time to change her mind," Bo said to Gwen.

"And how are you going to do that?"

"That's my business, not yours," Bo snapped, "Now, I believe I asked you to follow me, not jump into everyone's business. You're here as a reporter, so please observe, listen and report. I believe that's what reporters do until the end of the race. That's when you get to ask questions and judge the actions of mushers even though you've never driven a sled a day in your life. Ironic, ain't it?"

Bo took two steps, but turned back, "Oh and by the way – you assumed that I wasn't going to do anything else or that what I said isn't leaving her with something to think about. I'd ask you to consider if – when you were eighteen and determined to be right – would you have listened to an adult? Particularly one you had to beat to take home the money to your family?"

Bo turned back towards her team, walking past them as she moved directly to the truck and her lead man,

"Harper in there?"

Mark smiled, "She's been waiting for you."

Bo smiled, seeing her friend laying on the edge of the truck floor, "Oh, I see. You're playing queen of the team, eh? What's the matter? You don't want to get your hair wet in the snow so you're staying under cover?"

Harper barked twice, wagging her tail. Bo leaned in, rubbing her on both sides of her neck,

"Gwen, this is Harper. She's a three-time Iditarod champion."

The first thing the reporter saw was Harper's front right leg, "My God! What did you do to her?"

Tosh stepped forward, "Hey! She didn't do…"

"It's okay, Tosh, I've got this, "Bo said, placing a hand gently on her brother's chest to hold him back as she turned to Gwen, "Now, there you go assuming things again."

The woman rolled her eyes, but Bo asked, "Are you aware of a man called Big Jim?"

"Of course. You'd have to live on the East Coast not to know him."

Bo nodded, "Well, one of his men dropped a bear cub into the center of my team about six months ago. The mother bear attacked my team, thinking they were hurting the cub when they started to bark and jump to get out of the way. I attacked the bear to try to save my team because I hadn't noticed there was a bear cub tossed in among them. I was almost unconscious when – apparently – this old girl, Harper, bit through her lead to get free and attacked the bear. He got her good, but she managed to clamp down on the bear's carotid artery and he bled out, but not before doing a lot of damage to Harper."

Bo pulled Harper's fur sleeves from the plastic crate tied to the truck wall, "These fur sleeves were crafted by my mom and business partner to protect her legs in the snow. They came from the bear. She always wears neoprene sleeves on her legs, booties on her feet and a compression sleeve for support on that bad leg."

"She saved your life?"

Bo nodded, "When I was trying to save her siblings and daughters. You see, this is Alaska. As a native, I've always lived with animals. PETA members may live with dogs or have an appreciation for animals, but most don't truly understand the rules of wildlife society. My dogs were perceived as a threat to a bear's young. If animals could sit down and talk things out, if dogs and bears spoke the same language, everyone would have left that incident unscathed. Unfortunately, that's not how things work out here and as a resident of their community, you should know that."

Gwen nodded, "Actually, I'm an intern, so I'm not actually a resident. I'm from California."

Bo's shoulder's slumped as she shook her head, "Okay. Lesson number one. Huskies – whether Alaskan or Siberian – are runners and pullers."

"What's the difference between the names?"

"Alaskan's are from two breeds for speed, size, strength and resistance to the cold. Siberians give Alaskans their speed, "Bo grabbed a lead from the crate, "Harper, stay. Gwen, come with me."

Bo led her to where her dogs were laying in their straw beds under one of Kyle's shelters, "This is my business partner, Kyle."

Gwen nodded, "Nice to meet you."

Kyle turned to Bo, "So? How did it work?"

"It's amazing. It really holds the heat, it's super easy to set up no matter what shape the frame is and I set it up by myself without help from Rudy. She couldn't set it up by herself, but she did try – for an hour."

"Yea, that kid won't let you do anything she's determined to do for herself."

Bo smiled, "Can you hitch up a five-dog team for me? Use the dogs I brought here."

"Sure. Where you going?"

"I'm teaching Gwen here. She's a reporter – born and raised in California."

"Bo…" Kyle said, the tone giving her friend a warning,

"I know. I'm going to try what others haven't, beginning with teaching our reporter there how not to make assumptions."

Kyle sighed, putting both hands on her hips, "Well, you might want to teach her two other lessons."

"Oh yea?"

"Yea. Lesson number two – Alaska is about function, not fashion. She'll freeze to death if you take her more than a mile away."

"And the other lesson?"

"Not to touch a dog without permission from the musher." Kyle said.

"Yup. I'll tell her. Glad she didn't touch Hercules. He'd have bitten her hand off."

Kyle laughed, "Good luck. What's with the lead?"

"She's going to walk Aphrodite… with me holding onto a lead attached to the lead in her hand."

"Good idea."

Bo nodded, walking over to Aphrodite who immediately stood up and greeted her, "Hey big girl. Your mom is tired, so how would you like to go for a quick walk?"

Aphrodite's tail wagged, as she turned to Gwen, "I'd like you to notice how she responds to commands."

"Commands?"

"Yes, commands. Have you ever walked a dog?" Bo asked.

"Yes."

"Okay, so you know sit, heel, and other terms used when walking a dog?"

"Of course."

"Great. Walk my dog." Bo said, hooking her lead to the end of Aphrodite's lead. She unhooked the pup and handed the lead to Gwen, stepping behind her with a tight grip on the lead Bo had tied to the lead in the reporter's hand, "Go on then. Walk her."

"Hi Aphrodite. Let's go for a walk. Go on." Gwen said as Bo smirked.

Aphrodite took off yanking the lead from Gwen's hand while Bo ran behind her calling to Gwen, "Come on!"

Bo looked over her shoulder, seeing Gwen try to keep up, but it was no use. Bo called out to her dog,

"Whoa! Whoa!" She smiled, "Come girl."

They turned around and walked back towards Gwen, "Sit. Down."

Gwen watched as Aphrodite obeyed, "I'm so sorry. She just yanked the…"

"Nope. She didn't do anything. You told her to go, so she did. It was you who released the lead from your hand."

"She's strong," Gwen said.

Bo smiled, holding up the lead, "I'm still holding a line. She's only strong if you don't know her instincts."

"Because of training?"

Bo shook her head, "That's what PETA would have you believe – that we train the dogs to be wild and want to run - kind of like illegal fight rings train dogs to attack each other. If that's the case, why does a Jack Russell want to run? A Border Collie? Why does a German Shephard or a Doberman protect? These are all animal instincts."

Bo bent down and scratched Aphrodite's head, knowing her canine friend had been promised a walk,

"Remember that humans have desires and instincts as well. If a child is about to fall, you try to catch them. If you're about to fall, you put your hands out. If you're a trained gymnast or athlete, you tuck and roll so you don't break your arms when you land. You can train animals or humans to use their instincts in a way that can protect them and others."

She nodded back towards her team, "These dogs are runners. You can't train that out of them no matter how much you try, but you can teach them commands that will stop them when they run or when they don't realize that continuing to run will lead to injury, heat exhaustion, heart attack or death. We do our best to save them from themselves, but unfortunately, they can't say – hey, Bo, you'd better stop me now because I'm about to collapse from heat exhaustion in about twenty-two minutes."

"Bo? We have a problem."

Bo turned to Kyle who had a sled ready to go, but Harper was standing in the lead position on the line.

"You're not really going to run her, are you?" Gwen asked.

Bo nodded, "Tomorrow, I'll walk her for one mile as promised in that meeting. It will probably be at the wheel position... maybe."

"The what?"

Bo sighed, and began to explain, but her mom interrupted,

"What do we say that tomorrow, I will teach Miss Gwen the Mushing 101 course so that you can get on with this little sled demonstration and then get some food and sleep?"

Bo smiled, turning to Gwen, "Gwen, meet my Mom, Mary Dennis. No matter how old you get, Mom will always look out for you – make sure you're eating your vegetables and getting enough sleep," Bo smiled, wrapping an arm around her mom's waist, "To answer your question, the wheel is the position closest to the sled. While it requires more pulling on the initial effort, I can peddle… or run… pushing the sled to make it easy on her. But for now, she'll run the lead since she's insisting."

"Just tell her no."

Bo smiled, "Harper, no sled."

Harper barked at Bo three times, taking a step back, growling and baring her teeth before laying down on the center line and wagging her tail.

"So, do you want to argue with her, Gwen?" Bo asked.

Gwen laughed, "Insistent, isn't she?"

Bo nodded, pulling on her compression sleeve, then the neoprene, then the fur. She added the neoprene and fur to every other leg, then pulled on her booties, sweater and Gortex shell,

"She was born a sled dog. The first time she did that, she was seven months old."

"You're really going to push your sled for a mile?" Gwen asked.

Bo shook her head, "You really do need Mushing 101. Peddling is a normal part of the human's job, but not for the full mile. There's this thing called momentum…" Bo smiled, "I trust you've had basic physics?"

Gwen's shoulders slouched as she cocked her head, "Cute."

Bo winked, "I am. Come on."

Gwen looked back at Mary who smiled, "My daughter is quite modest."

"Right," Gwen laughed.

Bo turned to Kyle, "I know, but talk to my mom and Rudy about the meeting. Some other Bo was there and she sort of… well, talk to them first. I'll see you soon and we'll chat."

Kyle had questions and Bo knew it, but she would explain later. For now, she wanted Gwen to have this experience. She hoped if she saw the dogs in action, she might understand their instinct.

"Okay, now stand on the rails," Bo said, pointing to where she should put her feet, "You think that Mushers don't have to physically do anything – that we're just along for the ride. Let's help you to understand the truth in that so you don't make that assumption… or any others… again."

"But… I've never driven a sled."

"I know. I'll be right here. Hang on to that handle and do as I say."

"But…"

"No buts. If you're going to write about this race, you're going to have an expert opinion – or as close to expert as I can get you. I'm sick and tired of people writing the worst about this race, so you're going to tell the truth – the entire truth – from experience. Hold on."

"Harper! Hike! Hike! Go on, Ladies! Just a little ride."

Gwen felt the sled lurch forward, but she held onto the handles. Bo peddled to get the sled started and then stood on the rails behind Gwen just as she had for Rudy when she was younger. Gwen was a petite woman, shorter than Lauren, and smaller in stature, so she was going to take it slow – mostly for Harper's sake,

"Gee! Gee!"

"What does that mean," Gwen asked.

"Right turn, 'haw' is left turn, 'easy' they'll slow down, 'straight ahead' they'll move forward or stay forward at an intersection, 'whoa' is stop but you always put both brakes down, 'on by' is passing another team or some other distraction and 'line out' is for them to take slack out of the line."

Bo looked around Gwen, "Okay, now we're going to go down and to the left, so bend your knees and lean into the turn. Keep your feet solid, "Haw! Haw! Easy!"

"Why so slow?"

"Taking care of Harper. Watch that front left leg. She's limping a bit. She went from laying down for about four hours to dragging our asses on a sled. Be patient and let her warm up. I'll tell you, she was something in her prime… well, she was something before the bear fight. She had another race in her for sure. It's a shame. I feel bad holding her out."

"So, after a mile, when you drop her, what happens?"

Bo shrugged, "I run with fifteen dogs instead of sixteen, but knowing what I know about the course now, I'll be able to travel much lighter. If she lasts longer, so be it. If she fights me on stopping her from running, she'll be allowed to run until she wants to stop."

"Does she know to stop herself?"

Bo nodded, "She'll lay down. It's our new normal. This is only the third time she's been behind a sled. We've rested her for a long time, so I doubt she'll last too long. I hadn't planned on racing her again, but she's had other ideas and I'm trying to honor her wishes. I would ask the same of my family when it's near my time to die. I think everyone has a right to die on their own terms when the time comes."

Gwen nodded, "Me too."

"As for the rest of my dogs, they don't get to be so bold. I'll make the decisions for them. If you ask around, you'll know that winning and prize money really doesn't matter to me," Bo paused, silent for a moment, "I ran the race to honor my mother when I thought she had died."

Gwen didn't reply right away and she also didn't mention to Bo that her editor had asked her to get what she described as an 'illusive Bo Dennis interview on the facts of her past'. Instead, she approached the topic without questions,

"I'd heard rumors about your… shall we call it anti-social behaviors. Of course, there's a lot of fact as well as fiction out there in the world and social media is ripe with a lot of gossip and misinformation. It seems that anyone with an opinion is suddenly a reporter these days even if they didn't earn a college degree in journalism. That old adage that a picture is worth a thousand words is true, but a picture without context can do a lot of damage."

Bo nodded, "And that's what PETA has used to do damage to sledding."

"Just one organization of many who do that. Sometimes it seems like all you need is a lot of followers on your social media accounts to get paid to write an article. Hell, some of these people can't even write a proper sentence without hellish grammatical and spelling errors. My editor always complains about how easy writers have it in this age of spelling and grammar checks on computers…"

She chuckled, "… of course, then she'll go on for an hour about how back in her day you actually had to take the shoe-leather express to get a story. She's big on sending us undercover to get first-hand accounts because, as she says, 'back in my day you had to pound the pavement and actually meet people face-to-face'. Apparently the editors had to fact check anything reporters wrote…"

Bo laughed out loud, "Now do you want to tell me what you really want, Gwen?"

Gwen blushed with embarrassment, grateful Bo couldn't see her cheeks, "Sorry. It's just that my boss is under a lot of pressure to make a profit from the paper and she's really pushing the staff for better stories… juicy stories, as she calls them."

"Whoa! Whoa!" Bo called out to the team, bringing them to a stop, "She sent you to get an interview with me?"

Gwen was silent, which told Bo all she needed to know, but still, the reporter spoke, "I refused."

"What?" Bo asked.

"I refused. She asked, I refused. I have no designs on working for a gossip magazine. If I did, I'd be working for any number of illegitimate news organizations that offered me jobs to do dishonest work. I'm interested in real jobs, with real paychecks – not an internship working for benefits and $2.75 an hour."

"Wow. That's… the worst pay ever."

Gwen nodded, "Yea, well I've got… a health condition. It requires medication and the internship was the only offer that included health care. The rest would help me to afford rent and food but not my drugs. Food can be cheap. I can go to Mickey D's for a five dollar Happy Meal, eat the burger and fries for lunch, have the apple and juice for dinner and eat the cookie for a snack. The bottle of water gets me at least one fourth of the fluids I need, and it helps me down the damn horse pill I have to take every day."

Bo was shocked to hear how this young woman was living. It was then that Bo realized just how many people had thought her life was so tragic but hearing Gwen's current situation confirmed what Bo already knew. There may have been family tragedy, but the rest of her life was charmed by measure against Gwen's. She had more money than she needed, she had a home, land and all the food she needed. It gave her an idea,

"Have you ever considered moving here?"

Gwen shook her head, "Seriously? You do realize you live in an oversized freezer, right?"

Bo smiled, "Live being the operative word there. Hike! Hike! Come on Harp! Let's get at it!"

The dogs had never laid down, so they were off at a much quicker pace, "Easy, Harper! Easy, Girl!"

Harper was almost running now and while Bo saw no sign of a limp, she worried, "Whoa! Whoa!"

"You're stopping them again?"

Bo nodded, "She's running too hard."

"But she's not limping," Gwen said.

Bo paused, talking to the back of the reporters' head, "Says every musher who ends up with an injured dog who never runs again. It's not just about their gait. You have to know the dog – know their spirit and their condition," Bo stepped off the sled, kicking the brake into place and dropping the anchor, "Come on. I'll show you."

Gwen followed Bo as she gave each dog a pat on the head before reaching Harper, "Hey there, my girl."

Harper barked twice, her tail wagging, but Bo shook her head, "I thought we agreed no running?"

Harper barked again, "That's not very polite. I'm just looking out for you. Remember, you weren't supposed to survive your injuries. You tear that muscle again and Cassie will have to take your leg. Then we'll have to figure out a prosthetic leg and you won't like it, my friend."

Bo's throat tightened as Harper lowered her head and let out a short whine as she lay down, lifting her paw for her human,

"Thank you, my friend," Bo said, pressing on Harper's shoulder girdle. It wasn't until she got to her elbow that the veteran dog yelped, "Go basket?"

Harper whined again, crawling into Bo's lap, "I know, Harp. I'm sorry too. I wish we could go back to that day… if only…" her eyes welled with tears as she leaned into her companions neck, the smell of cold fresh snow in her fur reminding Bo of all the years they had slept together under the stars while running this race.

"You okay, Bo?" came the voice of the reporter.

Bo quickly pulled herself together, clearing her throat, "Yea. We're fine."

She unhooked Harper's lead and the extra piece of center line she'd hooked in, "Basket, Harp."

Harper walked past the team of rookies, each one nuzzling into her as she passed. Bo knew they were honoring their Matriarch and, in many cases, their mother or grandmother. Bo followed her back, unzipping the basket so she could crawl in, then zipped it shut. Harper pushed her head through the opening making Bo laughed,

"I know. Watch out for them. Make sure they don't get us lost," Bo smiled, rubbing her head,

"Let's get back," Bo said to Gwen, "I'll drive. We're going to travel much faster now, so you can either ride in the basket with Harper or sit on the bench behind me. I'd prefer you not stand since the turns could throw you off the sled."

"I'm not getting into that contraption with a dog."

Bo shook her head, "It's your call, but I'm traveling at race speed on the way back to give you that experience. I want you to see exactly what is meant by… I believe your paper called it 'running dogs to death' in their feature preview about the Iditarod."

"I didn't write that article."

"No, but you took a job at a paper that did. Again, making sure you learn not to make assumptions. Anyway, my point is, sitting in the basket with Harper, you'll be warm because of her body heat and you'll get the same view the dogs get. If you sit behind me, you won't be able to see as much and there's a chance you could get thrown off the bench on a turn. There's no seatbelt back there."

Gwen sighed, "Fine. Basket it is."

Bo unzipped the basket, helping Gwen in. She was clearly uncomfortable around Harper – Bo suspected she was afraid of dogs, "The dogs are also not aggressive as mentioned in that same article."

"I'm sorry, but didn't you say this dog killed a bear with one bite?"

"A well-placed bite. She ripped the artery at the neck – a neck I had already opened up with my axe. If I hadn't, she wouldn't have been able to bite through the thick fur, blubber and muscle to do any damage."

"That's disgusting."

Bo sighed, "She's alive. I'm alive. You weren't there."

Gwen looked at Harper who was looking up at Bo, "She really risked herself for you?"

Bo shrugged, "She was tied down to a ground chain. You tell me what it took for her to break free."

Gwen reached up with a tentative hand, rubbing Harper's head between her ears. Harper lowered her snout, leaning into the touch.

"Now you did it. You'll have to do that all the way back to camp," Bo laughed, "Pull your goggles down and hang on to Harper."

Bo stepped to the rails, readied her own gear and disengaged the brakes, "Hike! Hike!"

The team pulled out, working quickly into a full pace. Most of the trail back would be downhill but this would give Bo a chance to get one last look at these dogs. She heard Gwen call out,

"This is really fast!"

Bo laughed, "These are my rookies. They're actually quite slow without veteran dogs like Harper in the mix."

Harper let out a howl and the group seemed to find a new gear. Bo laughed, "Don't like me calling your kids slow, huh Harper?"

Bo allowed the team to run free, leaning into the tight turns and peddling to help them out. A good run would be good for her before lunch. She had to put a leg out on several corners to keep the sled upright, but she was struggling to figure out which pair was really the brawn behind the power being generated.

When they finally got back to camp, she moved through the team, taking note of who Kyle had hooked to the sled.

"I'll be damned," Bo said, rubbing her neck at the pair she was eyeing.

Gwen crawled out of the basket and Bo quickly said, "Grab Harper's lead, please. Don't let go this time."

Bo smiled when Gwen immediately tied the lead to the sled handle, "I'm not sure about that knot."

Laughing the musher walked back, taking Harper's lead and walking her over to where Kyle was heading towards her.

"What are you damned about?" Gwen asked, pulling out her reporter's notepad from her pack.

"The leader of my human team hooked up an unexpected group of dogs."

Kyle shook her head, waving her hands over her head, "It wasn't me. I was under strict orders from the Dennis Family woman in charge."

"My mom?"

Kyle threw back her head with a laugh, "Hell no! Rudy!"

Bo chuckled, "Of course."

"She wanted you to – and I quote – feel their power," Kyle smiled.

Bo laughed, shaking her head as she walked over to the magnetic board on the back of the truck. She pulled one of the dry erase markers from the wall and added the words 'team leads' after Jenna and Muk's names.

"Really?" Kyle asked.

Bo shrugged, "I let the dogs run full out on the way back. I thought it was one of the veterans giving me the extra power, but it was them."

Kyle shrugged, "You're the boss. So, you've got Nike and Diana as your leads, Aphrodite and Gaea as your swings… and now Jenna and Muk at the team lead position so that pushes your previous new leads, Keegan and Sadie, back to the number two team spot. So, are you then using your veteran team dogs?" Kyle asked, "Rudy gave me a copy of that time trial we ran and the notes you two made on your trip. Using that, Nemesis and Artemis, Hestia and Iris, Samson and Delilah would be next which would leave just Hera and Demeter as your wheels."

Bo shook her head, "They're no good at wheel. They don't have any size to handle a full sled the first few days in deep snow. You talked to my mom about conditions?"

"Yea. Change of strategy for sure."

Bo nodded, "I'm open to suggestions before I make my final decisions."

Kyle asked, "What about Rosie and Reese or Kikkan and Scotty? They're the next fastest on the list and they've got good size."

Bo shrugged, "I have to honor that bet. Harper has to run the first mile, so let's do this…"

The musher took the white board down and erased Nike and Diana,

"Bo, you can't be serious…"

The brunette held up a finger as she wrote in Harper and Aphrodite. She added Nike and Diana back in as the swing dogs followed by Jenna and Muk next to lead the team group with Keegan and Sadie, Nemesis and Artemis, Hestia and Iris, then Hera and Demeter. She wrote Samson and Delilah into the wheel position, then pulled the marker to her lips,

"That will be a lot to rearrange when you drop Harper," Kyle commented.

"Samson was the slowest of the big dogs, right?"

Kyle looked at the page and nodded, "Gaea and Aphrodite were the fastest, though you've never really considered Aphrodite a big dog. She was just the best to pair with Harper when you moved her to the wheel."

Bo nodded, and erased Samson, putting Gaea in with Delilah.

Kyle laughed, "Awww… poor boy. Everyone would have been so surprised to see a male on your team."

Bo grinned, "Yea, well they'll have to wait another year for that streak to be broken."

"You plan to run a male next year?" Kyle asked.

Bo shrugged, "I don't choose my dogs based on gender. I choose them based on performance and we all know my boys are horn toads."

"Well, are you going to give them the bad news or am I?" Kyle asked, pointing to the dogs.

Bo smiled, pulling a bag of jerky out of her pocket, "That's always my job. At least they'll get to sleep in a warm truck tonight."

"Yup - living in the lap of luxury," Kyle laughed, "Want help?"

Rudy walked over, "I'll help her. It was my big mouth that is the reason they're not running."

Bo shook her head, "It was my choice, Roo. They won't blame you."

She looked down at the white board in Bo's hand, "You put Demeter on the bench with Samson?"

Bo shrugged, "I've gotta make room for Harper. You were there when I made the deal."

Rudy shook her head, "I shoulda kept my big mouth shut."

Bo smiled, "Honestly, I was going to do it anyway, Roo. Harper deserves a last parade – win or lose."

"Have you ever come from behind to win before?"

Bo nodded, "Every year – even if I didn't win – I was behind people who I moved ahead of, Roo. To answer your question, my first trophy was a come from behind and a very close finish."

Rudy shrugged, "Well, if you did it before, you can do it again."

"That's what I think. I'll be happy as long as I place in the top five, but I'll definitely go for the win, Roo. Luckily, my vision quest had me in super deep snow for months. I'm in the best shape of my life. I can hang with the dogs if I have to."

"Not if you don't get food and sleep!" Mary shouted from over at the campfire.

Bo waved and nodded, "I know! I know!"

"Knowledge is only power if you apply it!" Mary shouted back.

Bo smiled, looking at Kyle, "Where does she come up with those pearls of wisdom?"

Kyle shrugged, "Don't know, but she's always right."

Bo turned to Rudy and sighed, "Ready, Roo?"

"Okay. Let's go give 'em the bad news," Rudy said with a frown.

Bo smiled down at her younger sibling, "They're not all getting bad news, you know."

Rudy nodded, "I know, but I still feel bad for them. Just look at their little faces. They're all so excited. I think they know they have a chance to make the starting lineup. It'll be so disappointing. I mean – think about the ones that you bring here every year and they never get to run behind your sleigh."

"My sleigh?" Bo laughed.

Rudy scowled, "I was thinking about Rudolph and it's not funny to have your feelings hurt like that. I know that if I want to run in the Iditarod one day, all I'll have to do is run some races, qualify, fill out those papers and pay them my allowance. These pups all have to be picked to run."

"Well, there's nothing we can do about that now, Roo. We all have to live life in the moment and deal with what's happening now whether human or canine," she nudged her pouting sibling, "Okay – out with it – your silver lining in this moment."

Rudy heaved a heavy sigh, patting Rosie on the head, "Jenna and Muk are gonna be Champions!"

Bo smiled, handing Rudy the bag of jerky as she made a beeline for her two favorite dogs. She had to laugh when Rudy announced that they made the cut and wrapped her arms around their necks.

Bo heaved a big sigh, looking up at the sky, "Great spirits, I'm not sure what you have in store for us this year, but it would be nice not to have to fight for my life and the lives of my dogs for once. If you could arrange it, a wolf, moose and bear-free trip would be great… and mild weather, but not so mild that we're running on slush and overheating. Oh, and maybe melt off a foot or two of snow in those deep sections if you don't mind?"

"Sister! Look!" Rudy called, pointing to the top of their truck.

Bo looked up to see two bald eagles perched just above the rear door, "I'll take that as a yes, Spirits?"

She smiled at the two majestic birds, "Great spirits, if you're offering, I would appreciate you two sticking with me and my team through this one."

"Why? Do you have a bad feeling?"

Bo turned to see Lauren approaching. She smiled, "Actually, I don't have much of a feeling about anything, which is what worries me. I just feel… relaxed… or… complacent… or… maybe anxious. Maybe it's more a fear of impending doom or I just need to do one more check of my gear and get some sleep."

Lauren sighed, leaning into her fiancé, "Bo, your gear has been quintuple checked by now and the dogs are being well cared for. Everything is ready to go. I know your training has been quite different than in previous years, but I can speak from my own personal experience that you are in better shape than you were last year and the course should be – in relative terms - easy for you."

"You do realize we're running the most difficult passes twice with this new course, right? And the snow is deeper than ever in those areas."

Lauren nodded and smiled, "I do and that is why you are better equipped than anyone to run those areas. You practice those section of the course as a hobby. You ran worse sections than that in the Quest and on your way there and back. Who else has done that?"

Bo sighed, "I suppose you're right."

"You lived off grid in the Yukon for months, so the climate won't beat you or the dogs. You're ready, Bo."

"You seem so sure."

Lauren smiled, "I believe in you, I trust in your experience, your knowledge and your strength. I believe in your dogs and the love they have for running and you. I believe that this is your race to lose, Bo Dennis so find that positive mind set and kick it into high gear."

"Well, I suppose I didn't have to drag my old raggedy ass out here at all… not after that motivational speech. Well said, Doctor Lewis! Well said!"

The couple turned and immediately smiled at the sight of Doctor Gray. Bo shook her head and gave her a firm hug before wrapping her arm around her elbow to support her weight in the deep snow,

"Faith, I'm so grateful that you're here. You really didn't have to come."

She shrugged, putting her other arm through Lauren's elbow, "I live two miles away. How could I miss this?"

"But the start isn't until tomorrow," Lauren smiled, "You could have come in the morning."

Faith smiled, "I may be old, Child, but my blood was made for this weather. Besides, I wanted to be here for all the excitement… and maybe to get a glimpse of young Jesse Muldoon, our resident young hottie. Don't beat him too badly, Ysabeau. We don't want to crush his dreams in his first year."

Bo chuckled, "You horny old lady."

"My heart's still beating, Ysabeau. He may be too young for my taste, but I can still appreciate an exciting new racer – especially if he's kind, caring and handsome."

"Kind and caring?" Bo asked.

Faith nodded, "He works with handicapped kids – teaching them how to use sleds to get around rather than struggle to walk."

"Wow. That's really something," Bo said, "What a great idea."

Both doctors nodded, Faith nodding towards the area behind Bo's truck, "That's him over there. That young boy he has with him is his little brother. A rare form of bone cancer cost him his leg. Jesse got him into sledding so he could get back and forth to school."

"That kid looks younger than Rudy," Bo observed.

"Just about eight months, I believe," Faith said, nodding towards the group walking towards them, "That's the parents, two aunts, an uncle and his teen brother. Great family. His Mom really doesn't want him to race. She saw me in town… asked me to ask you to look out for him out there."

"Faith… I can't…"

Faith waved Bo off, "I know and I told her that you can't very well watch out for someone who's behind you but that you would keep your ears to the ground and report it if you heard of any trouble involving the boy."

Bo nodded, "Of course. I suppose that I'll pass him on the turnaround. I'll look for him then. If you can get his bib number, it would help since it could be dark out when we pass each other."

"You can get it yourself. It looks like the Mom is heading this way."

Lauren shook her head, "She looks… frazzled."

"Three sons, one has already been through cancer. Self explanatory," Faith said quickly.

The two younger women shook their heads before spreading their lips into a smile as the woman arrived and immediately extended a hand, first to Lauren,

"You must be Doctor Lewis. I'm so grateful children will finally be able to get good health care in our area. Hello again, Doctor Gray and you must be Bo Dennis, the Champion."

Bo and Lauren shared a glance before Bo nodded, "It's very nice to meet you Mrs…."

"Oh, I'm Effie. Effie McDonagall. I just wanted to ask… Doctor Gray did you mention?" she turned to ask Faith, but before Faith could answer, she turned back to Bo,

"My eldest son is racing for the first time this year. He's just twenty-two and, well, he's been racing around on that sled since his grandfather built it with him when he was seven. He'll probably be fine, but he has refused any help with training, equipment or professional mentors we've offered him. I really have no idea if he knows what he's doing or not. I just… well, Hank Randolph took me out on the course by snow machine and… it's a damned wasteland out there. I don't know why he insists on…"

Bo placed a hand on the hand that was still shaking hers, "Effie? I'll keep my ear to the ground out there and look for him on the turn around. The race is a loop this year, so I'd say it's the best situation for a rookie. If things get too rough for Jessie out there, he can always send up a flare and get help. Really, try not to worry. If you have him come over here, I'd be happy to talk to him."

"You would? Oh, that would mean so much!" She released Bo's hand and rushed off towards her son, calling his name and waving to him as she fell once, then twice. Jessie and the middle brother rushed over to help her. There was a brief argument before Jessie sent his Mom back to their staging area and walked towards Bo.

"Miss Dennis, I'm so very sorry that my Mom bothered you about me. I really am embarrassed."

Bo shook her head, "Never be embarrassed to have a Mom who worries for you, Jessie. It's the ultimate demonstration of her love for you."

"Yes, Miss Dennis. Of course."

Bo smiled, looking at Lauren then back to the young man, "First of all, call me Bo, please. Now, what makes you think you're ready to take on this race?"

He smiled, "I was interested in sledding from the time I could walk, but my mom… well…"

Bo nodded, "Was afraid to let you on the sled."

"Yea. One day I was out with my grandfather… he's native Alaskan. My mom is from Wisconsin and my dad's mom was from California. His dad was born and raised here… west coast village."

Bo nodded her understanding as Jessie continued,

"Anyway. My grandfather had a stroke and I had to drive the sled to get help."

Lauren couldn't help the gasp that escaped her mouth. She looked at Bo, embarrassed, "Sorry. It's just…" she turned to Jessie, "Your grandfather had another stroke last spring, right?"

Jessie nodded, "How did you know…"

"I'm Doctor Lauren Lewis."

Jessie took Lauren's hand in his own, "Doctor Lewis… you… you saved my grandfather's life. I can't tell you how grateful I… my entire family is for your dedication and skill."

Lauren smiled, "I merely kept him in the best possible condition until my neurology team arrived. They were the true lifesavers, Jessie."

He shrugged, "He was near death when they brought him in. If you weren't there… I hate to think of what might have happened if he would have had to wait for the neurologists to get there."

Bo hated to stop the conversation, but she was getting tired and needed to get some sleep,

"Well, I hate to break up this happy doctor-patient-family reunion, but we have an early start and we really need to get some sleep. That said, back to my original question, what makes you think you're ready for this race?"

Jessie shrugged, "I was born to be a musher. I'm happiest when I'm on a sled out there in the wilderness, just me and my dogs. I drive a sled everywhere I go and it's all I want to do. I just… I want to see if I have what it takes."

Bo nodded, "But why not just go for one of the smaller races?"

"I did the ones I had to do to qualify. I'm ready for this… I know I am."

"Your Mom asked me… I mean… if you get into trouble, I may not be close enough to help and even if I am…"

"I don't expect you to help me. I know to send up a flare if I need help. My mom is just overreacting."

Bo nodded, "Have you actually been on any of the trail? I mean, did you come out here and run any part of the course?"

"No, but…"

Bo shook her head, looking up at Faith and Lauren, "He's the second kid I've been asked to look out for! I can't do this. I won't be responsible for the life of kids who have no business in this race! This is the Iditarod, not some trip to the grocery store!" she turned to the young musher, "I'm begging you. Don't run. Don't risk your life. You have a family who loves you and losing you in this race would be devastating for them. Experienced mushers are dropping out of this race. Hell, I'm nervous about this race and I've lived out there! If you run, you can die. Die as in dead!"

She turned back to Lauren and Faith, "I can't do this."

Bo walked away, leaving Lauren and Faith standing with the young rookie. Jessie watched with them before he turned to the two women,

"Is she mad at me?"

Lauren went to speak, but Faith placed a hand on hers and said, "Child, that woman gained more experience on a sled in one day than you've gained in your entire life. There's a reason she is vying for her fourth straight title. If she is concerned about you participating in this race, I would heed her warning. You cannot possibly understand what you will be exposed to on that trail until you are actually out there regretting joining the race."

"I won't. I… I have to do this."

"Why?"

"I want my grandfather to… I want him…" his eyes began to water, so he turned his gaze towards his dogs.

"You think you need to be able to take a trophy home to your grandfather before he dies," Lauren concluded.

"He taught me everything I know about mushing. He built that sled with me. He deserves to see his dream fulfilled," Jessie finished.

Faith nodded slowly, "It's interesting that you mention your grandfather's dreams and not your own."

Jessie paused, surprised by the comment, then cleared his throat, shoved his hands in his pockets and responded,

"Well, I meant mine. I mean, I dreamed that I would run the Iditarod one day and…"

"To run this race, one must know themselves and their motivations before all else," Faith said.

Jessie nodded.

"I suggest you sleep on it and make your decision in the morning," Faith said, turning him to face his family who was gathered around a fire, "From my own personal experience living off grid, it's obvious to me that your family lives a more… modern life. They're not dressed for this weather and if what you have on is what you intend to wear for this entire race, you'll freeze to death out there. That aside, parents should never outlive their children. Don't be the reason they do."

Faith walked away, taking Lauren with her to where the Dennis-Morton clan had gathered. Jessie watched the women leave, his eyes drifting to where Bo was talking to the people gathered around her, clearly upset. He turned to his family – a much smaller support group than Bo's. He sighed, turning back towards his parents, his eyes watching his Mom speaking nervously to his Dad, then to his Grandfather sitting alone, his hands held up for warmth against the flames. He remembered his last words to him before they left…

"I will follow you to this race if you feel it's what you must do, my Grandson. I will support you when your parents do not in any quest you wish to undergo. However, be sure that you have the support of the spirits in this quest for without their blessing, I fear the consequence for you. As I have taught you, think before you give the command to those who must trust you most."

He sighed, only now understanding the full context of what his grandfather had been trying to say. The man had always been cryptic – never giving him a straight answer, always forcing him to come to his own conclusions. All he had heard was that his grandfather would support his decision when his parents did not. It was a heated argument the day he had brought home the registration papers. He had told his parents he had his grandfather's support, essentially pitting him against his family. Now, he sat alone by the fire. His Mom had not wanted him there.

"I did this. Now, I must fix this. I have to tell them what Grandfather actually said, then I must make this decision with my mind, not with my pride."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Meanwhile, by Bo's Team Fire…

"Okay, sorry for all of the delays…" Bo began, but Molly chuckled her reply,

"Oh, it's fine, Bo. While you were trying to stop two misdirected teens from getting themselves killed, upending the entire Iditarod system of governance, making a deal that would allow Harper to run one last race and getting in deep with a reporter who may or may not finally set the record straight on how our dogs are really treated, we were…"

Rudy cut in, "Checking the checklist, then checking the checked checklist and then checking the checked checklist's checklist and checking and checking and checking! Sheesh! My family is obsessed with checking and my Lauren loves her red pen!"

Bo smiled, looking at Lauren who was clearly embarrassed, so she gave Rudy a cock of her head and a warning glare. The youngest Dennis lowered her eyes before moving them to Lauren,

"I love red pens too. They make it clear when things aren't right. I didn't mean to…"

Lauren smiled, "It's okay, Roo. I do get a bit obsessed with checking things when our Bo is about to head out into the frozen mountain range."

Rudy crossed the circle to Lauren and wrapped her arms around her waist, "You're just keeping her safe for all of us. Thanks."

Lauren pulled the child's hat down to cover her head fully, "You're welcome."

Bo turned to the group again, "So, I trust that Kyle and Rudy have addressed my final team lineups, so just to remind you all – I'll need someone at every checkpoint until Harper is dropped. After that, check the schedule for when I plan to stop. If I miss a checkpoint, everyone knows what to do."

Kurt smiled, "We're a well-oiled machine, Bo. We've got your back."

"Everything is ready to go, Sis. Trust your team, trust your dogs, trust your equipment, trust yourself," Tosh smiled.

Bo nodded, offering a smile for her brothers' words of wisdom. They were words he had shared with her at each and every Iditarod since he'd joined the race team a little over five years ago. Somehow, the words meant more this year now that she knew they were coming from her brother,

"I do trust you, Brother… all of you…" Bo said, looking around at her group, "I love you all… so much and I thank you for all you do to help me achieve my racing goals," she raised her mug, "So here's to the best group of family and friends a girl could ask to have as the well-oiled machine getting her to the finish line."

"Here here!" LJ shouted with a smile.

"Here here!" The group chimed in as they all drank from whatever they were holding before Elise and Rudy looked at each other, then back at the group. It was Elise who asked,

"Are you guys asking where we are?"

LJ smiled, "We're very sure of where we are, little cuz. Here here is just a way of saying we agree with what Bo said."

"Oh," Elise said, scowling, "Then why not just say you agree?"

Molly wrapped an arm over her shoulder, "I'll explain later, kiddo. Let's get you and Rudy off to your dog duties. There's a lot of legs to massage out there before they go for their evening jog and Bo's got to get some sleep."

Mary turned to Rudy, "Do you need to sleep, Child?"

"I'm good to go, Mamma!"

Bo looked at her sister, "Roo, you're on the same sleep schedule I am. You really should get some sleep. It's an early start in the morning."

"But the race doesn't start until…"

Bo was shaking her head before the words came out of her sister's mouth, "You don't start when the race starts. Every dog will have to be brushed, rubbed down, dressed and attached to my sled before I'm due at the starting line which is before the race start time."

Mary added, "You must always check the next day's schedule to know what you have to be prepared to handle. You must plan your sleep, Child. Do so, or I will be forced to do it for you."

"Yes, ma'am."

Bo nodded, "So, you and I are going to eat and then take naps, yes?"

"Yes, Sister," Rudy said, turning to Elise, "Will you take care of Jenna and Muk for me? I think they're nervous."

Elise nodded and gave her friend a hug, "I've got your back, Roo."

"You're the best friend ever," Rudy said, hugging her tighter.

Mary led Rudy over to the team fire while Bo gave a nod to her family and friends, only then noticing that Lauren had left their meeting circle. She looked around and saw her sitting by their private fire between a row of trees and the truck. They were hidden from public view so Bo wasn't nagged for autograph's, but still visible to the team so that they could find her if she was needed. As she took a step toward's Lauren, she was stopped by Gwen who had her reporter's pad out and pen at the ready. She exhaled a deep sigh as the questions began.

Lauren had spoken to Rudy and Mary to find out what had happened at the official meeting. After getting all of the details, she waited patiently as Bo went through her final checklist with the group, but she was anxious to get Bo fed and into a few hours of sleep. Lauren was also planning to lay down and try to get a short nap before her meeting with the rest of the medics. She was grateful another veterinarian had volunteered late in the game this year allowing her to move from dog care to human care. She felt much more comfortable tending to the needs of an anatomy she fully understood, and it would also give her a chance to speak with doctors from the area about the new trauma center they were building in Talkeetna not far from the hospital.

Now as she sat by their campfire, she was joined by Mary who placed a hand on her shoulder,

"Daughter, I would like to take a bit of the load from you for coming days."

Lauren looked up, surprised to see her, "I thought you would be getting Rudy fed and down for a nap."

"She wanted to show her pictures to Elise while she ate, so Molly and I decided to give them a few minutes together."

Lauren smiled, "That camera is going to get a lot of use. I'm glad."

Mary nodded, "Me too. So about my offer, can I help?"

"With medical needs?" Lauren asked.

Mary shook her head, taking a seat on the log next to Lauren, "These two children that our Ysabeau has grown concerned with… and this reporter - I wish to follow their progress with Molly and Faith by my side. We have discussed it and feel it is something that we can handle. We can monitor their checkpoint arrivals and departures, make observations when they enter and leave, and then report any concerns to you or other medical personnel. You and Bo have your own responsibilities. My daughter and Elise have tied themselves to Mark, Tosh, LJ and the others for Bo's needs, so we have little else to do but wait and watch my daughter drive by."

Lauren smiled, "There are mandatory checkpoints where she must stop and when she drops Harper…"

"I have a feeling Harper will see every checkpoint. I believe she intends to carry her in the basket for as long as Harper chooses to be there."

"But that's extra weight. She'll surely…"

Mary held up a hand and shook her head, "Ysabeau's priority is winning, yes, but I believe this year, she will do so on her terms, no matter what appears to be common knowledge for a musher. Win or lose, she is following her own definition of right and wrong."

Lauren nodded, "And Harper getting this last race is right no matter the cost."

Mary smiled, "Oddly enough, it was our Rudy who explained it to me. She supports her sisters' ideals whether she wins or not. She's doing right by Harper and our Rudy is proud of her sister for doing what she called 'the right thing' because 'winning isn't everything'… her words, not mine."

"So, her reason for starting with Harper in a harness…"

"The right thing," Mary smiled.

Lauren nodded, "I'm not surprised. This new Bo that we're all getting to know is certainly living her life on her terms."

"A promise she made to herself while she was gone. I believe that change exists in her fiancé as well, yes?"

Lauren smiled, "Touché."

"So, we're agreed?"

Lauren nodded, "Agreed. So, everyone has their jobs then."

"Do we need to review?" Mary asked, waving Kyle over to them.

They paused, then asked Kyle, "We were just reviewing team duties. Can you pull up your list to be sure we are all in agreement now?"

Kyle nodded and ran down the list as Lauren and Mary spoke,

"Mary and Molly will watch out for Gwen, Julie and Jessie throughout the race instead of working with your team."

Kyle nodded, "Okay. Let me just change that. I take it you've given me other people?"

Mary nodded, "Lauren is running with the medics rather than the veterinarians."

"A vet volunteered last minute, so thankfully, I'm taking care of humans this year."

Kyle smiled as Mary continued,

"You will return to the role of Bo's right hand for all things sled and race strategy this year. I know she's happy to have you back."

Kyle smiled, "And I'm happy I'm alive to be back here."

Mary nodded, "You will have the team of Mark, Tosh, Rudy, Elise and LJ. You've got Bo and the sled while the rest have the dogs… though I believe Roo…"

"Will be breathing down my neck and taking the dogs right out of my hands," Kyle laughed.

Mary smiled, but her voice was serious, "Be patient, please and remember, she and Bo have a connection unlike any I've seen. She's wise beyond her experience and her years."

"Yes Ma'am," Kyle nodded, her tone giving Mary all the respect her wisdom deserved.

"Tamsin, Acacia and Adam were all asked to volunteer for race security this year."

Kyle laughed, "Don was upset that Tamsin was put in charge last year, so he suggested to the race committee that if they didn't need him last year, they must not need his services this year. He took most of the security force with him."

Mary smiled, "Good to know since I'll be heading the race committee for next year. Young blood is a good thing as we enter this time of change."

"Head of the race committee?" Kyle asked.

Lauren smiled, "You must have stepped away when we covered that new fact. It's a long story, so I'll explain later. Back to this year."

Kyle nodded, "Right. What's next?"

Mary nodded, "Kurt and Kelly are flying with the emergency medics. They will have Shannon, Carolyn and Kate as their crew. Under greater scrutiny than ever, Anna and Faith will be helping with medical support – a new addition to the team to help racers with their decisions to leave the race or aid in notification about the condition of dropped dogs."

Kyle cocked her head, "Appeasing the people who believe that most mushers abuse their dogs?"

Mary shrugged, "More like adding documented proof that most mushers enable their dogs to live the lifestyle they prefer just like humans."

Kyle nodded, "Okay. Anyone we missed?"

"How about us?"

The three women turned to see Patrick and Jake walking up to them, "We were told to report to you for our assignments."

Lauren gave Patrick a hug, then pulled back to check out his wardrobe, "Are you actually wearing something that serves function over fashion?"

Patrick laughed, "Jake insisted that I not die out here because I was too stupid to look a little butch."

Lauren shook her head, "Well, as long as you don't become a patient of mine, I'll be happy."

"Woof. Are you calling me a dog?" Patrick asked.

"Actually, I was moved to the human medic team, so no, dear friend, I am not calling you a dog… this time."

That earned Lauren a punch in the arm but Kyle quickly broke up the banter,

"Okay, focus please. Lauren's got to get Bo some food and rest so I've got to go drag her away from that damn reporter."

Kyle looked over to see Bo's arms crossed over her chest, "Or maybe a diplomatic Mary is the right person for that job. I might just punch that woman in the face."

She cleared her thoughts, "Okay then, Patrick, you can help me keep Rudy and Elise under close watch. Jake, you can help the guys with the dogs at the checkpoints. The dogs she leaves behind at the start will need to be exercised and cared for until we get them back home at the end of the race."

"No problem," Jake smiled.

"Awww… we'll be apart?" Patrick moaned.

"Absence makes the heart grow fonder," Jake grinned, a twinkle in his eye.

It warmed Lauren's heart to see that her friend had finally made a connection with someone. She feared he would be single for the rest of his life with his all-work, no time for pleasure attitude, but since coming here, that had changed. Though his father's years of teachings may keep him a workaholic of sorts, since meeting Jake, he was more relaxed. Lauren could only hope he would get out from under the years of engrained work ethic lessons to find the life she'd recently come to know.

Kyle interrupted the doctor's thoughts,

"Okay then," Kyle said, looking back to Bo, "Geezus! Lauren, wait here. I'll send Bo to you,"

Lauren looked up to see Bo had rid herself of Gwen, but was now rummaging through her sled gear,

"She's double checking things again not realizing we've probably checked it ten times," Kyle said, moving to step away from Lauren who shook her head,

"You need to sleep too, Kyle. You're no good to Bo in the morning if you aren't thinking clearly and you haven't slept for two days!"

"I've napped. This is what I do, Lauren. You've just never been here for the prep stage. I'll sleep good and long after she leaves. Tosh will track her whereabouts and man the radio. That's always been his thing," Kyle's mind was suddenly filled with images of races past and of Tosh being insistent on following Bo on a map he kept in his front jacket pocket. She caught Tamsin's eye as she stood talking to Bo's brother – clipboards in hand. She wondered… had Tosh known he was Bo's brother all along? Was he always looking out for her, doing what he could right under Big Jim's nose?

She shook out the thoughts. It was unthinkable. Bo would be crushed if he'd kept that secret. Still, right now, Bo needed sleep and that had to be her priority. Still, if Tamsin had known for years…"

She turned to Lauren, "You go get your woman and get her ass to sleep," she watched as Lauren stormed off with purpose, shouting one last reminder to her, "Don't forget to feed her first!"

Lauren nodded and waved, "I'm on it."

"Mary, I think you should rest while Rudy's resting. Bo mentioned wanting you to run a sled with her tonight."

"She did?" Mary asked, surprised.

Kyle smiled warmly, "It's the Iditarod – your dream. She wants you to have a piece of her experience, not just stand on the damn sidelines!"

"Oh. I didn't realize…"

Kyle took her hands, "Mary, you've got to know that of everyone here – yes, even little Roo – doing well for you, having you here – this means everything to Bo. This was a dream the two of you shared together her entire young life. She called it a full circle moment."

Mary smiled, "Yes, well… I guess it would be. I didn't realize… I guess I'd just been so caught up…"

Kyle nodded knowingly, "We all get caught up, but Bo… well, even when she was the stoic, silent but deadly type always got emotional with her crew at this race. That's when you knew that there was a warm, beating heart beneath that cold, threatening, tough exterior."

Mary looked up at Bo who was talking to Lauren. Her daughter was all smiles, as was her doctor,

"It's hard to believe my daughter was ever considered cold, threatening and silent but deadly, although I did get a peek at that person when I first arrived, I suppose."

Kyle shook her head, "No, Mary. You didn't. Lauren's influence had already changed her by the time you arrived. The Bo we all knew – well, to be honest, she scared me most of the time."

"And still you laid with her?"

Kyle scowled, "There was a warmth about her in those moments. She was still shut down, but calmer. I suppose the human contact was… well, anyway, even in then I didn't let my guard down. She was too… unpredictable."

Mary whispered, her eyes showing Kyle she was lost in the past, "Like her father."

Kyle paused, clearing her throat she said, "I won't tell anyone you said that."

Mary covered her mouth with her hand, her eyes watering as she turned to Kyle, "I didn't mean… she's not…"

"I know, Mary," Kyle said, placing an understanding hand on the woman's shoulder, "The important thing is that she's Bo 2.0 now and we're all here to support her and help her to live out those childhood dreams that Big Jim took away. It's just doubly nice that we get to help some of those Momma dreams come true for you, too."

Mary smiled, looking around the camp area, "It is exciting to be here. The race has grown so much since my day. I was walking the grounds and was amazed at the sleds. Do you think they're faster than Ysabeau's?"

Kyle shrugged, "They think they are, but Bo's a traditionalist and I don't see us ever going away from wooden sleds. We have a few sleds with carbon fiber reinforcement in the wood, but Bo said she'd rather keep the weight of wood and limit her gear than be able to add gear she really doesn't need just to use a lighter sled."

Mary nodded, "Lighter isn't always better."

Kyle nodded, "Agreed. I've heard a lot of people talking about how their lightweight sleds will be great in the deep snow, but I have a feeling they're not going to be sturdy enough to hold up under the weight of driving the sled through deep, wet snow. They also don't know how the materials will react to the constant wet, freezing conditions."

"Well, I suppose we'll know in two weeks."

Kyle smiled, "Yes we will."

"Well, go do what you must, Child. I think it's time I sat these old bones down and took in my medicines and tea. Thank you, so much for all you've done for Bo for all of these years. I can't imagine being her friend was easy, but you stood by her. I'm grateful she has you."

Kyle nodded, "Thank you."

She watched as Mary turned to Jake and Patrick, stepping between the two men and locking her arms through their elbows,

"If you're finished gawking at the large male mushers, I could use a little help to my fire."

Patrick smiled at Mary, "You know us too well, Mary."

"Lauren will handle Bo for now. You two have got some dog care lessons to get to."

Kyle smiled, "I'll meet you two over at the backup dog truck and we'll get you started with the exercise, water and feed routine."

"We'll be there after we get this lovely lady to her fire," Patrick said. turning to the rest of the group, "Have a good nap, everyone!"

"Not everyone gets to nap, Pat!" Mark said, hauling two buckets of food towards the area where Bo's dogs were lying down.

Big Jon followed with a bale of hay on each shoulder, "But you're welcome to help us lay fresh hay and bowls of feed for the dogs in the kennel area once you're finished with the backup dogs."

"Whatever you need! Do you want us to help you first?"

Big Jon looked at Mark who looked at Kyle, "I guess taking care of Bo's starters first makes sense. She'll want to run them when she wakes up, so… sure, that works."

Mark smiled, "Great! We'll be able to catch a few hours of sleep before we have to set Bo and Mary up for a run."

Mary looked at Mark, "Bo said she wants me to go?"

Mark nodded, "She wants you to run Rudy's team with a few dogs she'll use if anything happens to any of her starters before tomorrow morning."

Lauren and Bo were walking past as Mark replied, "You up for it, Mom?" Bo asked.

Mary nodded, "Are you kidding? Of course! I'm just going to go catch a quick nap."

"You've got time, Mom. I'm going to eat and sleep as well. I'll probably take a pretty long nap, so you're fine."

Lauren added, "Don't forget to eat before you take your medicines and drink plenty of water just in case your daughter takes you further than you expect! This woman doesn't believe in runs shorter than fifty miles!"

Bo laughed, "I do on the day before the Iditarod!"

"Okay then. Good night all!" Mary said, looking up at the sky, "Or is that good day?"

Bo shrugged, "I just assume going to sleep always means good night, so good night, Mom!"

Everyone headed off to take care of their assigned chores, meals or rest time while Bo and Lauren headed to their private fire behind the truck. Lauren fluffed the hay beneath her feet and laid out the blankets while Bo headed off to relieve herself. The doctor called Harper over when Mark released her and the dog came, tail wagging. Bo came back and cozied up to the fire while Lauren put the pot with Molly's stew in the hot coals at the edge.

"The stew will be hot in another minute or two."

"No rush," Bo smiled.

"On the contrary. You need sleep." Lauren countered.

Bo sighed, "I know. I'm just so… pumped."

"Well, that's good to hear considering you seemed to be having second and third thoughts for the past few weeks," Lauren smiled, crossing her legs and picking up a stick. She poked at the fire, "You seem more… motivated."

"You know, I think I am. Actually, my emotions are all over the place. I had a great time running with Rudy on the way here and now, I'm out here, under the stars and – I don't know, I'm just…"

"In your element?" Lauren suggested.

Bo smiled, "Yea, I guess so. It's just – last year was a different vibe. Everyone here this year blood or not is family and – well, some people say it takes a village to raise a racer, but for me, it just takes this family."

She paused, smiling up at Lauren, "And I finally get a chance to run a warmup with my Mom, Lauren. My mom is here and we're going to warm up the dogs together for the Iditaord! We're finally getting to live the dream together and, well – it's a real full circle moment, ya know? She's back… we're back and – well, it's incredible!"

Lauren smiled, seeing the glimmer in Bo's eyes, "You're happy."

Bo's eyes swelled, "I swear these are happy tears. It just hit me all at once. I mean, I had you last year, but I never imagined that my life could get even better and honestly, post-race, I thought you would have dumped my ass months ago, but… here we are."

Lauren grinned, "Here we are."

"I just can't stop smiling," she took Lauren's hand, "I'm going to marry you. I mean… you actually said yes and you are actually going to marry me. Me! Bo Dennis! The creature from hell is loved by the most incredible woman on the planet and I just want to shout it from… well, the top of the backup dog truck! We were happy last year, Lauren, but now… it's a whole new level of happy."

Lauren laughed, "Did you bump your head while you were on your way here or maybe drink too much caffeine today?"

Bo grinned, "Nope. I'm just realizing that I am absolutely the luckiest woman in the world because I have the most incredible group of family and friends, a mom and a little sister who support us and complete our family and a new future that will make both of us happy. For the first time in my life, I'm not living in fear. I'm not living my life looking over my shoulder for the next bad thing. I'm actually… optimistic."

Bo shook her head, "I can't believe I just said that. I mean, I know there will be rough spots, hell a rough spot could happen in the next second, but I'm not thinking about that. I'm thinking about you and all of our friends and family and our wedding and our new home and our new careers and… well, obviously, how well those composite sleds will hold up against mine in the deep snow."

Lauren chuckled, "Of course you are."

"Well, I am here to run the Iditarod, so those thoughts have to be in there somewhere."

Lauren flicked Bo's nose, "Those should be the first thoughts in your head right now. Let's get focused, Miss Dennis! I don't need you missing our wedding because you weren't mentally prepared for a very long and dangerous race."

Bo's smile and nodded, "So you heard about what happened in the meeting?"

Lauren nodded, "The Chief of Staff for the race told us about the trail changes in the medical staff meeting. Everyone is a bit upset that they weren't consulted about the course. Running the three roughest parts of the trail twice… well, it's a less than popular decision from a safety point of view."

"Did they have another suggestion?"

Lauren nodded, "That the race be reversed."

"You mean start at the traditional finish line?"

"Yes. Run the loop at that end, making the turnaround before the Alaska Range."

Bo shook her head, "That would be a cake walk by comparison."

"What did you suggest?"

Bo shrugged, "Run the damn race. Of course, I didn't say that, but that's the way it's always been done. No one would have been saved from that pandemic back in the day if the musher had said, 'sorry, we can't go because the trail is too difficult'. It's the whole point of the Iditarod. To commemorate the act of bravery that saved an entire village and to honor the musher and dogs – particularly the unsung hero and not lead dog whose name was lost to the news media of the time."

"Togo," Lauren nodded. She'd heard the story from Bo before and knew how passionate she was about crediting the proper dog – even with her own team.

Lauren nodded, "Is that why you're using Harper?"

Bo stroked her canine friends' fur, "I'm honoring her wishes. If she doesn't stand at the center line in the morning, I'll put her in the basket and run a dog short."

"Why in the world would you give up a dog from your team?"

"The deal… I have to honor the bet I made at the meeting, no matter what it costs me. Time for Bo to put up or shut up. Believe me, I'm hoping that I can shut up all of those damn assholes in that tent."

"Phil, Pete…"

"No, no. Of course not. I guess it was Dan that started it, but he actually seemed… well, he sort of changed during the meeting it was strange."

"Changed?"

Bo shrugged, "He went along with my proposal for changes."

"So, Dan was the one you made the deal with?"

"Him and a few other loud mouths. My long-time race rivals would never have asked me to run a dog short or run a weak dog and they're probably not happy I agreed to it. They don't want me to have an excuse at the end if they beat me and they especially don't want me to beat them with a disadvantage at the start."

"Well, let's face it, their traditional male egos are probably already upset to lose to a girl to begin with," Lauren chuckled.

Bo nodded, "I hope Rudy never has to deal with that macho bullshit."

Lauren shrugged, "Sadly, I think it's going to take our world a few more generations to fix the male-dominated societies of the past. A girl can dream, though."

Bo chuckled, tucking her arms behind her head and looking up at the sky, "It's going to be a beautiful night. The sky is actually pretty blue for this time of year."

Lauren looked up, "Well, it will be dark before we know it. Let's just hope the weather holds for the race."

"From your lips to the ears of the Great Spirits," Bo said, her gaze moving to the eagle perched on the tree branch in the tree behind the fire.

Lauren followed Bo's eyes to the noble bird, "Is that a…"

Bo smiled, "It's my eagle. She's been with me since I found Scout… maybe before."

"You said she's your spirit animal? Is that a good sign?"

Bo shrugged, "I'd like to think she's here to guide me… maybe watch out for me a bit. There was another one with her earlier. Maybe her mate is here to watch out for her like you are for me?"

Lauren smiled, "That's a nice thought," she pulled the stew from the fire and handed it to Bo with her spoon, "That's from your cooking kit, so we have to clean it and put it back on your sled."

Bo nodded, "Thanks. I had Rudy eating with her fingers last week. I told her utensils are weight."

"Bo! It's less than a pound!"

Shrugging the big sister replied, "I was teaching a concept, not specifics. If she had her way, she would have brought an extra hundred pounds with her!"

"Okay, so you're right about that," Lauren said, looking up at the eagle, "She's a beautiful bird. Any advantage, we'll take it. Have you given her a name?"

Bo shrugged, "Scout."

"What?"

"Scout. It's who I was with when she found me. It just seems right since he can't run the race with me as he'd wanted. Besides, it's an appropriate name. She scouts out the territory and warns me when there's trouble up ahead."

"She does?" Lauren asked.

Bo shrugged, "I hope so," she said, spooning the hot stew into her mouth, "I don't suppose any of this made it into my food supply?"

Lauren grinned, "The blue five-gallon bucket."

"Five-gallon bucket?" Bo asked.

Lauren smiled, "Molly has four more that she's keeping frozen. One of us will be standing at the checkpoints holding a bucket in case you need us to switch it out. It's a quick switch mount that Kyle put beneath your bench. She said something about giving you center weight for the conditions?"

Bo nodded and grinned, "She's a genius, that one. This is great. I'll just dig my pot into the bucket and stick it on the fire. How many meals does she think I'll get out of one bucket?"

"Well, first, that's not her normal stew. She worked with Kyle to merge that nutrient muk you've been using for years into something that would taste like your stew and bring you a bit of home on the trail."

"Awww… that's so sweet! Did you do the nutritional analysis?"

Lauren smiled, "I had the nutritionist at the hospital run the ingredients. She had Molly add a protein powder to keep your calories up. Of course, the deep snow and extra peddling time you're going to have to do with one less dog means you've really got to pay attention to your meals. If you're hungry, eat. Mind you, there's a good deal of the stew, but it's still not enough for every meal of the entire race but it is the main meal – three times a day, one big bowl and one big bowl only. We'll have blue buckets at the checkpoints if you need to switch them out. If you pick up the top center gear bag, you'll see how Kyle set it up. It's a quick pull, toss, grab, drop and go."

"Cool! So why don't I just drop the food bucket between short distance stops?"

Lauren's lips tightened as she shook her head, "That would be dangerous, Sweetie. If your sled breaks down, you or one of the dogs get hurt, an avalanche, an injury… you need to have food and water with you and that bucket is both for you."

Bo nodded, "So what are we thinking with the extra calorie burn?"

Lauren cocked her head left, then right, "I called my nutritionist and talked about the race changes. Now, considering the race is about a hundred miles shorter but twice as difficult – quite literally – she's thinking you'll be back to freeze dried food about three quarters of the way through the race at best… that's factoring in my knowledge of how much I know you can't really control yourself with Molly's stew."

"I'm sorry, but I think you just said I eat too much of Mollie's stew?"

Lauren laughed as Bo held out her camp bowl, "Is there more?"

Shaking her head, Lauren spooned more into the container and placed it in the coals of the fire, "I rest my case."

"Hey! I haven't eaten much this week. Rudy didn't exactly go easy on the grub. I need a new strategy to catch enough fish to satisfy that kids' appetite. Otherwise, I'll have to drag traps along so we can eat meat to load her up quicker."

Lauren laughed, "Our little Roo burns a thousand calories an hour just by thinking."

"And she thinks a LOT," Bo laughed, licking her utensil, "Is that one hot yet?"

Lauren shook her head, "You really shouldn't criticize your little sisters' calorie needs."

Bo laughed, "I didn't eat much this morning. Do you really want me heading out on that trail hungry? If I recall, you were very upset over the fifteen pounds I dropped during the race last year."

Lauren reached behind her and grabbed the insulated bag she had packed for Bo's dinner. She tossed it to her before returning to stirring the stew.

"What's this?"

"Have a look," Lauren said.

Bo pulled open the bag and peeked inside, a smile stretching across her face when she saw that Lauren had packed her all sorts of food,

"Wow. Apples. Real apples."

Lauren nodded, "Dig a little deeper and you'll find a few oranges too."

"How in the world did you get oranges at this time of year?" Bo asked, digging around until she found one and raised it to her nose, taking a long whiff of the wonderful fruit, "Vitamin C. Have I mentioned that I love you and want to marry you?"

Lauren chuckled, "You may have mentioned something in passing. Apparently, Rudy and Elise caught wind of that and are planning a whole thing for after the race. You'll be there, right?"

"Hmmm… let me check my schedule," Bo said, her face serious before bursting into laughter, "I wouldn't miss it for the world."

"Good," Lauren smiled, "Now eat your stew. There's two pieces of bread in that bag."

"Goodie!" Bo smiled, taking the stew, "You take such good care of me."

"Just make sure you take care of yourself too," Lauren said.

When Bo's belly was full, they laid back on the hay, bundled from head to toe in their warmest gear, staring at the sky,

"I think I'm going to fall asleep now."

Lauren smiled, rubbing Harper between the ears, "You do that. Tomorrow, you two will set off on Harper's final quest for that first-place trophy. Dream of winning and honoring the spirit of the Iditarod."

Bo smiled, rolling onto her side and cuddling into Harper, "Hear that, girl? Tomorrow, we set our sights on another medal for your neck."

Lauren smiled as she watched Bo and Harper drift off to sleep. She pulled her blanket over her shoulders and turned into Harper to get warm. She was happy that Bo was so incredibly happy for the first time in her life. She was happy she wasn't waiting for the other shoe to drop anymore and grateful that she wasn't living in constant fear of impending doom.

She sighed, right now, she only hoped that she could let go of the fear that she was feeling. It was the Iditarod and the conditions were dangerous. The doctor in her just wouldn't shut off. She knew that she would focus on the other racers when the time came, but in the back of mind, it was there – the constant worry and concern for her beloved fiancé.

She looked up at the eagle and whispered, "I don't now much of the Spirits my beloved prays to, but if you could please watch over her, I would be eternally grateful to you and your kind. Please watch over her and bring her back to me - whole, safe and healthy. Please don't let this race be the end of our dreams."

Lauren sighed, pulling her hat down over her eyes to block out the light and – after some effort, drifted off to sleep. In a few hours, they would get up to exercise the dogs, Bo would reluctantly meet the press, do a final gear check, sleep and hit the starting line. Race time would be here before they knew it and everyone needed to be on top of their game.

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