Monday morning came and the team woke up from a long sleep. They headed out and the sun is shining bright. The dogs woke up one after the other. Kodi woke up to the beautiful sight of the girl of his life. She looks like a peaceful angel when she is asleep. Kodi slowly lifts himself up to not wake her up. She notices his warm body is gone, so she wakes up a few seconds later.

"Good morning Lily."

She yawned before she said "Good morning Kodi."

Mr. Simpson arrived with dry dog food and everyone ate. It's Lily's first day as a dog sled racer and is too nervous to eat anything. She just stands by the door and stares at the sled that is being packed with sacks of mail. Kodi notices her and walks up to her.

"You need to eat. You're going to need the energy to run." He said in a soft and caring tone.

"Yeah, it's just that……I'm nervous. This is my first time." She responded in a sad tone.

"Don't worry. You'll do well."

Kodi then nuzzled her and she nuzzled back.

"Thanks Kodi."

"Anything for you," Kodi responded. Lily blushed and looked away with a smile. Kodi gave that same smile back. I…I can't hold it in anymore...

"I love you Lily."

She looked at him in jy and responded " Kodi…….I love you too."

With that said, they nuzzled again. Hank saw everything. That is so gross. She doesn't know anything. I guess I have to tell her everything. She won't love him anymore after she finds out the real Kodi. He then laughed manically to himself. I'll tell her everything. She will be mine.

Mr. Simpson called the team over a few minutes later. Lily ate all her food and so did the rest of the team. They left Nome fast and made the necessary stops. For the first time in a year, the team got to its destination on time. Everyone was so happy for the new member. She was really fast. The last two dogs, or wheel dogs, were Hank and Kano. The two dogs in between were of course, Dusty and Ralph. The first two dogs were Kodi and Lily. They smiled the whole way. Running on this team was a really good experience for her. The wind that hit her face, the happy children, Kodi; she just couldn't be happier.

o

The week came and went. Lily had proven herself to be a great runner. She moved fast and swift as the wind blew in her face. She always had a grin on her face when running. She would look to her left and would see Kodi with a grin as well. The trill of running made it all the training with her old master worth it.

It was Friday night, and the team has arrived early to Nome. Once there, Mr. Simpson let them go and gave them food. He patted Lily on the head and said "You're a really good girl. I'm proud of you." He then left with a smile on her. Lily was so proud of herself. Kodi was proud of her too.

"Oh my goodness Kodi this week has been amazing!" she told Kodi as they walked alone around town.

"Really, how so?" he asked hoping it was him.

"I got to be in the best dog-sled team in Alaska and I ran for the first time!! I saw so many beautiful things in the arctic. I meet new dogs and made new friends. This week was been the best."

"Oh." Kodi answered with his head hanging low and his ears back.

"…and I met the love of my life…." She said as she nuzzled him. Kodi lifted his head and accepted it. He then smiled at her.

"Hey Lily..." Hank said as he walked towards her. He stepped in-between the two happy dogs and faced Lily. "… you look very nice today. Want to walk around and catch up on things?"

Kodi looked surprised at his actions and the looked at Lily for her response. She looked annoyed at his offer and replied politely with a "No thank you. I'll stay here with Kodi."

She moved around the now irritated dog and sat down next to Kodi again. He couldn't keep his anger inside anymore and wanted to take action now. He looked around and started into her eyes with an angry, yet cool-like, expression.

"You won't like him anymore if you knew who he really is." Hank then left them two alone.

What does he mean by 'who I really am'? Does he know about my past...about me and Kirby? Kodi said in his mind.

Lily looked confused by his last comment and looked up to face Kodi. Kodi looked equally confused and looked down at her.

"What did he mean by that Kodi?" she asked in a very serious voice.

"I-I don't know Lily." He replied. In reality, he didn't know. He had to ask him personally and alone, but that dog hated anything 'un-normal'.

"We should go to sleep, its getting late. We'll talk more in the morning." He said to her with a reassuring smile.

She smiled back and said "Ok."