Everything started like every other Sunday. The team woke up, ate breakfast and head out to run around. Kodi would take his time in everything. He would wake up last and walk slowly to his bowl. He would eat half of it and then walk out and lay down on the ground. The other dogs of Nome would see him and talk about how lazy Kodi is getting. They would spread some rumors that Kodi has lost interest in the team and is letting them down. Kodi, in reality, still loved his job. He would just be depressed all the time. Everyone had already recovered from Kirby's death, but it looked like Kodi would never recover.

The day went by really slow. Kodi started to feel really bored so he decided to stand and walk around. He forgot how his town looked like since he would always be in the boiler room or out of town doing his job. He walked around the boiler room and walked into town.

He saw a lot of people outside having fun with their kids. That reminded him of Kirby, something he wishes would stop happening every single day. He knew he would never have kids since he was gay. He would never give his parents any grandchildren, which was something they really wanted. This made him really depressed so he lowered his head and continued his walk.

He didn't see anything in front of him, but knew when someone was close with the shadow they gave out on the ground. He felt a wind gust hit him that made his body shiver. He couldn't deny the fact that he felt relaxed and refreshed. He breathes in the cold air with his eyes closed. After he exhaled and the wind died out, he opened his eyes to see his musher with a dog next to him. He was talking to a man in a suit and they both looked happy.

Mr. Simpson looked towards Kodi and called his dog over. Kodi walked fast towards him and as he walked closer, he noticed that the man had given his dog to Mr. Simpson.

"Hey boy, I would like you to meet our new team member, Lily."

Kodi had his ears up and was staring at her. She looked like a mix between a Chow Chow and a Husky. She was about Kodi's height and had brown fur. Her eyes were amber and she had a smile on her face, like a smart and innocent cute girl. She almost looked like a female version of Kirby.

"I'm sure your dog will do well on my team. She looks very well trained and I appreciate you coming here to give me the dog personally. You have no idea how much I need her. Thank you again." Mr. Simpson shock his hand after finishing.

"It's a pleasure doing business with you. Have a great day." The man in the suit left and now it was only the musher, Kodi, and the new dog, Lily.

Mr. Simpson took them both to the boiler room and left to get her some food. While walking towards the small shack, he couldn't keep his eyes off her. She was so beautiful. She walked with a smile still on her face. She looked like an angel that was sent from heaven. During that whole time, he didn't think about Kirby. The only one in his mind was that dog named Lily.

o

The new dog ate while Kodi laid down a few yards away from. This dog really looked like Kirby. She, of course, was not thick like a male dog, but she was well fit. She had leg muscle and looked like she was fast. She had the same noise marking as Kodi. Her ears were flapped forward she lowered her head to finish her meal. Afterwards, she looked at Kodi and started to talk to him.

"Hello. You may already know that my name is Lily. What's yours?" she asked in a very friendly tone.

"Hi, my name is Kodi. I'm the lead dog." He answered standing up looking strong. He couldn't believe what he was doing. He was actually showing off to her.

"Kodi huh?" she said looking up and down his body. She couldn't deny the fact that Kodi was in fact really muscular. He looked very strong. She felt impressed. His running and pushing hard really did pay off.

"Well Kodi, I heard a lot about you and your team. I-uh-I am really sorry about Kirby." She said looking down. She truly was sorry. She also knew that his death really affected Kodi the most. She heard it from a lot of rumors going around the town. She knew that Kodi and Kirby were best of friends.

"Oh, yeah…." Kodi answer looking down. He remembered Kirby again. His smile went away. The thoughts of Kirby filled his head and he walked slowly into the back of the room. I can't fall in love again. Kirby is and will always be my one and only. I don't want to feel hurt ever again. Even if it means not falling in love…ever again. The poor dog said to himself.

Lily noticed his discomfort and saw him walk into a dark corner of the room. She walked slowly towards him.

"Hey Kodi, I'm sorry that I brought that up. I'm so stupid. It's just that, I though you moved on like everyone else."

"No, its ok. It's just that Kirby and I…." but before he could say anything, he stopped himself. He didn't want to tell her his secret. He didn't want anybody to know. What if she was like the rest of them? She would make fun of him or worse.

"You and Kirby what?" she asked.

"Oh….uh…It's just that, we were very good friends and he was like a brother to me." Kodi replied as he stood up trying to give out a fake smile. "It's ok. Hey let me introduce you to the team."

"Oh, ok. But before, can you show me around Nome first. I would love to know my surroundings before I start to work here. Is that ok?"

"Yeah, of course. Let me show you around."

o

Kodi walked with Lily for hours. They talked and laughed. They ran around a bit and played. He found out that she used to live in a city called Oregon before her master decided to bring her here to sell her. She never had a friend before since all the dogs she known before had treated her horribly. She never felt love towards her master since he would train her hard to become fast and strong. He would also treat her harshly sometimes. She didn't remember a lot about her mother or father. She acted friendly this morning, because she believes in new beginnings. Kodi was her fist friend.

"I love it here. Everything is so quiet and so beautiful." She said as they walked on the beaches shore.

"Yeah, everything here is….beautiful"

Kodi blushed as the sunset made her amber eyes glow. They mesmerized him for a while. She looked back at him and asked if everything was ok.

"Oh….yeah, everything's fine." He looked away as he answers her question. No. This is wrong. I love Kirby and no other dog.

"Kodi, what are you thinking about?" she asked a bit worried now. During the day, he was always smiling and laughing. Now, he's serious. There was a dramatic change.

"Uh…..well….." the red dog started, but before he could continue, he saw a similar boat on the shore. ", I want to present to you my dad." He said very proud and with a smile.

"Ok. Sure. That would be great."

They both raced to the boat. Kodi stopped a few feet away from his dad's house.

"Wait right here. I'll bring him out."

He walked up and disappeared into the boat. Lily laid down and waited patiently on the ground. All she can think about in that time alone was Kodi. His strong body muscle and his sweet yet mysterious personality, she never met anyone as nice as him. Kodi...you so good with me and so cute. She giggled to that thought.

After a few more minutes, Kodi came out with his dad right behind him. The older dog looked tired, as if he was just woken up. Lily quickly stood up and smiled at the sight of Kodi. Once out of the boat, Kodi introduced his dad.

"Lily this is my dad, Balto. Dad, this is Lily. She is new here and she will be on the sled team helping us out."

"Hello Lily, nice to meet you. I'm sure you'll find my son to be a very fast runner. I hope you do well since the team has been late for quite a while now."

"Don't worry. I'm pretty fast myself and I'll work hard to bring Kodi's team back to the way it was." She answers with a smile.

"That's great to hear. I'm so sorry, but I have to get back to my home. I'm really tired today and I need some rest. I'll talk to you and Kodi later. Have a great day Lily." And with that, Balto turned around and walked back into his boat. Halfway though, he stopped and looked back at Kodi. "Don't forget to introduce her to your friends. They came by a little bit earlier and they were wondering where you were."

"Ok dad. Good night."

"Good night son"