15.

Mr. Simpson stumbled up the rocky hill as Dusty and Ralph followed him. He tripped over a set of jagged stones causing him to place his hand in front of him on the stones that pierced through the glove and into his flesh. Mr. Simpson clutched his wrist and cried out in pain as blood began to seep out of the fresh wound. Mr. Simpson looked at his hand, and then Star. He kept moving.

Every step initiated a network of pain in his body, yet he kept moving. Every ounce of blood caused his vision to fog, yet he kept moving. Finally, he made it to Star, the dogs gave their musher space as he collapsed on his knees. Mr. Simpson knelt there for a moment, contemplating what to do. 'Star doesn't have much time; I've got to do something.'

He reached down and took a rock off the ledge, proceeding to cut the arm of his coat off. He wound it around Star's chest, took the tight ends, and tied a knot. He slipped his hands under Star and lifted with all his might, Mr. Simpson groaned as he took on the dog's weight. Then, he blundered down the hill; the dogs followed him, Kodi to his left and Kirby to his right, ready to catch him if he fell. Reaching the bottom of the plateau, Mr. Simpson laid Star on the freshly fallen snow and placed his hand on Star's thigh; a pulse. A smile pursed his calloused lips as he felt the steady beat of Star's heart. Then he looked to his sled, 'the tools, I have to get them'.

The musher stood and moved over to the twisted sled, it came into his vision through the wintery haze. The sled lay on top of the sack, the bent frame had smushed the letters beneath. Mr. Simpson pulled the sack from underneath, it had a few rips and tears, yet no serious damage. He undid its knotted top, peering at its contents. The dogs huddled around their musher, waiting for his word. He looked, and then snapped the bag shut.

"We're not done yet boys, our run isn't over."

Kyle stood beneath the moon's glow, he placed the final piece of wood onto his cart. Kyle took a step back and rubbed the edge of his chin. "Gonna have to pay the innkeeper back for the lend."

He moved and grasped the handles, hoisting the wheelbarrow up, he paused and rested it on the ground. Kyle's head looked around and behind him, he sniffed the air; no Aleu. He let go of the wheelbarrow's handles and peered through the brush; no Aleu. 'You fool, you should've known she'd run away- betray you. It was only a matter of time.' He walked back toward the wheelbarrow, hoisting it upwards and beginning his trek. It rolled smoothly along the powdery snow. The night was empty, only the creaking of the wheelbarrow and trudge of boots occupied its void.

Then, a howl, although he'd never heard it before, Kyle knew who it was. 'Aleu', he dropped the wheelbarrow to the ground. Before the cart hit the snow, Kyle's ears had already honed on her location. He walked at a normal pace, then a faster one, then a jog, then a run, until he was in a sprint. Snow kicked up behind Kyle as he pressed forth, dodging under the wafty arms of pine trees. He slid to a stop, a territory marker, 'This is fresh- I can tell. The patrol's bound to be close by.' Kyle hesitated, then slowly turned, walking back towards his wheelbarrow. 'They'll be here soon, I better-'

Kyle looked back, and then forward, turning back towards Aleu's territory. '-ok, I've gotta make my steps lighter so they don't hear me.' Kyle reached down and took off his boots, setting them next to a tree. He walked across the border and into Aleu's territory. After crossing, he listened for any approaching wolves, the coast was clear. The cold began to cling to his exposed feet, Kyle bit his tongue as he felt them go numb. He pressed forward, a gust of wind chilled Kyle's spine. He ground his teeth together and clenched his fists.

Finally, he arrived at a clearing, where he could see wolves. There were some curled together, others slept with themselves, all were asleep.

"Good work you two, I expect you both to do a fine job leading the scouting party," Aleu said.

Kyle scrambled into the brush, tuning his ear to the voices.

"We will, Levgu and I got this all under control."

"Good night, keep up the good work," Aleu said.

"Thank you ma'am, good night to you too."

Two figures walked down the slope, Kyle watched them as they spoke.

"Dude, she said something good about us!"

"Hey bro, keep it down you're gonna wake everyone up."

"Ok ok- but you've gotta admit, that was pretty cool."

The voices trailed off and Kyle looked up the slope. He stepped from his position and began to climb it. He scampered up the slope, careful to not alarm anyone. His back pressed against the gritty stone next to the ledge. Once Kyle made it to the mouth of the den, he stopped, nearly suffocating himself so he might not be heard. His ears twitched, it was Aleu.

"Where are you Eran? You've got to help Kyle. I can't- at least not anymore. You're his only hope…" Aleu said. She sighed and lowered herself to the ground. Kyle peered around the corner; Aleu's head was at her paws, she lay staring at the den wall. He pulled away, shaking his head and looking towards the moon. 'Two more weeks, only two more weeks.'

"Aleu!"

"Aleu!"

"Wake Up!"

"Levgu! What's wrong?" Aleu got to her feet, ears perked. The night was still dark, it seemed morning was light-years away.

"The human- his scent- leads right to the mouth of the den," Levgu said. She dashed out of the den. She sniffed, the scent was fresh.

Levgu came next to her, "I was about to fall asleep, then I heard a noise. It was that wolf-smelling human. He entered our territory, all the way up to your den."

Aleu's eyes widened, she looked down the slope. There were footprints, bare footprints.

"Don't worry, Sevgu chased him-" Before he could finish, Aleu was already down the slope, he chased after her.

Aleu followed Kyle's trail, lowering her head to the snow. She took quick paces, stepping on her toes. Soon, she made it into the forest, Aleu spotted Sevgu.

"Sevgu! There you are- Levgu told me you saw him in our territory." Aleu came next to Sevgu, who was trotting with his nose on Kyle's trail.

"Yeah, Levgu heard him. I pursued him, but he should be out of our territory now. I've just got to make sure." Sevgu kept up his pace trotting above the line of footsteps.

"Aleu! Where are you? We've gotta find-" Aleu turned her head to Levgu, raising her eyebrows and clearing her throat.

"Oh yes, you found him. Sevgu and I can take care of this, we've got everything under control with this human." Levgu stepped in front of Sevgu and began to track Kyle's footsteps.

"If I may," Aleu walked in front of Levgu, "I'd like to take this one."

Sevgu walked up to Aleu, "But Aleu- we've got this. This is the wolf smelling human- he could be dangerous."

"Trust me, I'll be fine. I've handled worse than this before, haven't I?" Aleu spoke. The brothers looked at each other for a moment, then nodded.

"Best of luck." Sevgu said. They turned to leave and eventually were out of Aleu's earshot. She took a deep breath and traced Kyle's trail. She chased after his path, breathing in his cold-stricken odor. Aleu stopped where his footsteps jumbled, the old with the new. She sniffed for a moment, and then turned toward a set of boots, 'he left them behind.'

Aleu carried them in her mouth and dashed along his trail, finally coming to a wheelbarrow. There, she paused once again, carefully tracing Kyle's path before sprinting down his trail once again. She left the forest, into a clearing. A figure, it stood gazing towards Aleu, snow coated the rims of his shoulders. Aleu hesitated, then walked toward Kyle. Ears flattened and tail lowered. Kyle knelt, they stared at each other. Aleu placed the boots at Kyle's feet, he smiled. Kyle stood, dusted off his feet and slipped on the boots. He sat next to Aleu, looking at the stars under the flurry of snow.

"It was February of 1918."

All the soldiers stood in line, the ladders had been put up. Kyle could taste the sticky odor of chlorine gas, his feet were frozen. Each step was accompanied by a flicker of pain. The trench had been flooded for days, icicles dangled from the edges of the trench walls. Kyle brushed the mud off his gun and turned his attention to the battlefield. Some men pressed their hands into the face, a few paced with what little space they had, others retrieved a cross and began to pray. The experienced ones stood in line, waiting for another assault to take place. A group had retrieved combs from their vests and brushed their hair, before resting their helmets back on their heads.

"Soldiers!" Kyle's commanding officer called. Kyle looked up, waiting for Officer Abram to continue. An artillery shell plummeted next to the trench and the ring of guns began to cry.

"If any one of you turn back!" Officer Abram seized Oliver's rifle.

Abram raised the rifle high, "you take your rifle, and you shot them dead. You hear me!? Dead!"

He shoved it back into Oliver's hands, he held firm to the weapon. The barrage of weapons began to increase, artillery shells fell like raindrops. Further down the trench, a shell made contact. It sent a plume of dirt into the air, and then another made contact. The officer knew they had to climb the ladders soon.

The men got to their ladders; Oliver took the highest rung, he would be the first into the fray. Two bagpipe players filed their way down the line, they positioned themselves by the ladders. An officer put a whistle into his mouth and stood next to the bagpipe players. He blew a metallic note from the whistle, the raid had begun.

Men hurried themselves up the trenches, the opposing side lit up as though it was a galaxy. Men fell before they could finish climbing the ladder. One nearly came on Eric who pushed him out of the way. Kyle climbed his rung, he sprinted for cover. Men fell in droves, cut down in an instant. One man was stuck in a puddle of mud, calling for someone to pull him out. Kyle followed Oliver, Eric followed Kyle. Oliver slipped into a shell hole, releasing a round of fire to cover his friends.

They stayed in the shell hole for a moment, and then Eric led the way out. The group scrambled over freshly fallen corpses and around treacherous pits of mud. They came to a berm, there they were close to the enemy trench. They fell in line, one after the other. Enemy fire rained down at an all-time high, any soldiers who weren't in cover were terminated.

"Blasted!" Eric said. His head ducked just below the berm's line. "I can't get a shot off."

"Put a frag over on their side! Get the gunner." A man said.

"Where's the gunner?! I can't see him." Kyle cried.

"He's just over th-" the man was cut down. Oliver gawked at the figure, he gulped and with feebling hands as he pulled the grenade from his belt.

"What are you doing Oliver!? We can't see the enemy so why waste a frag?" Eric scolded.

Oliver hastily pulled the pin. "It's not like he's gonna use it." Then, he sent it flying. A moment passed, then an explosion, the machine gunner's fire stopped.

Eric scrambled over, followed by Oliver and Kyle. Two German soldiers popped up from the trenches, the man who'd risen fired and missed, Eric followed up and cut him down. Oliver and Kyle scrambled into cover, next to the opposing trench. They filed in, Kyle and Eric looked out on the sides and Oliver peered up. Kyle reached to his belt and pulled his grenade off it, handing it to Oliver. Oliver pulled the pin and lobbed it, they covered their ears. It went off, complemented by a shower of screams and the seizing of guns. The group climbed up the trench, into its corridors.

While many of the Germans had retreated, a few remained. Kyle shot a soldier to his right and Eric ran his bayonet through a foe. Both let out blood churning screams as they died.

"Come on! We've got to clean up these guys." Eric led the others, they followed close behind. A group of Germans stepped out into their sight, the group made quick work of them. Then, they saw some of their fellow Americans file into an alley. They followed them down into it, taking quick steps.

A volley of bullets came through their ranks, cutting down those who accompanied them. They spread out to the sides of the trench, taking cover behind sandbags and artillery shells. Kyle and Oliver to the left, Eric to the right. Oliver reached to his belt and pulled off a grenade, he pulled the pin and whirled it towards their foes. The explosion went off, but the bullets kept coming. Eric pulled a grenade off his belt, pulled the pin and whirled it towards the enemy.

They popped up, firing in rapid succession, the enemy had been neutralized. The group continued running down the trench, watching each other's backs. A soldier stepped out from a trench pathway; Kyle opened fire. Eric grabbed his gun and pulled it away. "Have you lost your mind! You just shot one of our own men."

Kyle's hands shook and mouth fell, the rifle dropped from his hands. Oliver and Eric raced over to the man, he was alive. They ran racing to put pressure on the wound.

"Come on Kyle! Help us!" Oliver called.

Kyle dashed over, putting his hands on the man's wounds. The man, it was the same that had looked toward the battlefield during the tour. The same that had fired a round of shots during their first shelling. Kyle had shot him, the blood continued to seep through, the flow couldn't be stopped. Kyle looked down on him, "What's- your name?"

"R-Ryan." He muttered. Blood coated his body, Kyle pressed his hands hard into his wounds. Ryan stared at Kyle, blood began to drip from the ends of his mouth.

"I-I'm dying, I think. I'll be ok- right?" he asked. Tears were flowing from his eyes, his face had grown pale.

"Yes- I'm sorry Ryan, I'm sorry," Kyle said. Then, Ryan convulsed, he gurgled, and his limbs sagged. Kyle looked down on the man and closed his eyes. He sobbed.

The sun rose over the town of Nome, it peaked the horizon and draped rooftops. The sky was open, but no clouds remained following the night's previous dusting. People began to arise, houses began to stir. Along the road, a canine trotted, his ears were relaxed and tail dangled in a floppy manner. As he walked along, some people gave him a greeting, the butcher threw him a scrap of meat. He picked it up and continued, staying focused on his objective. A man approached him, he wore a grey coat and boasted a fine belt. On his head, there was a leather cap that was joined to a set of goggles. The canine rested the meat on the ground and approached him.

"Hey there boy, you ready to fly today?" the man asked. Balto's tail swayed and he licked the man's hand.

The man laughed. "Ok buddy, just wait a little. I gotta get the plane ready."

With that, the man turned back to his plane. The canine watched him for a moment and smiled, 'How lucky am I? To have friends like Duke.' Then, he picked up the meat and went forward. After passing houses, taverns and the like, he made his way out of town, onto a hill. A house stood before him, he let out a short howl. The door opened and a man stepped out.

"Hey there Balto! I suppose you're here to see Jenna, here ya go!" With that, the man opened the door and a husky walked out. Its fur contrasted her white underbelly, Balto jogged to meet the husky.

"Jenna! I haven't seen you all night." Balto and Jenna nuzzled one another.

She smiled. "It's only one night Balto, how can that be too much?"

The two walked side by side, toward the town. "Oh you know me," the grey one began, "I hate sleeping away from you."

Jenna brushed up against Balto, "Yeah, don't worry. My owner will let you live with us soon, Rosie will make sure of it."

Balto cocked his head. "Speaking of Rosie, where is she? I never got my morning hug."

"Oh, she's off to the town, shopping with her mother I assume. Speaking of that, let's head to the boiler room!" Jenna said. She pranced forward.

"Yes let's- wait for me Jenna!" Balto chased after her, dashing through the town and finally arriving at the boiler room.

Through short breaths, she came to Balto and spoke. "I nearly had you there."

Balto laughed. "Yeah, you did. You're certainly improving."

They walked through the musky entrance while chatter had already filled the space. Dogs were bustling and busy with their usual things. The room smelt thick with rotting pine, the boiler room glowed a blooming orange. As they found their place, Balto spoke. "Hey Jenna, I'm flying with Duke today. Wanna come?"

Her head shook and she ruffled her fur. "No- no. There's not a chance that I would fly in that big grey machine. I still don't understand how it stays in the air."

Jenna sat and Balto next to her, they looked towards Doc, who waited for the commotion to settle. He let out a bark, which caused all conversation to seize. Doc scanned the crowd, ensuring everyone had their eyes trained on him; he paused, then cleared his throat.

"Hello everyone." He scanned the room, "are there any topics to discuss?"

A husky with a yellow coat spoke up. "Yes Doc, I was wondering. What's the news on Eran?"

The room fell silent, then another spoke up. "Well… you see he's still missing. There's been no reported sightings of him since the meeting."

Doc grunted, he looked around the room once again, peering at all its occupants, "Anyone else have any information about this?"

The room stayed silent, Doc looked around, then shook his head. "Anyone else have anything they would like to discuss?"

From the crowd, the post-office dog stepped forth. "Well, there's a bad storm comin' around. I hear she's a big one, and she'll be here soon!"

The short terrier widened his stance. "Oh! The mail will be kept up for days- for weeks!" he fell over on his side. "Oh! The tragedy…"

A plump terrier came forward. "It won't be that bad, come on. You're just making a fool of yourself."

"I'm telling you- it'll be a catastrophe! The dogs will-"

"Is there any other news from the post-office?" Doc said.

The terrier pulled himself back up, "Well… oh no-"

"Oh no, what?" Taylor asked.

"The team- the one sent out only a few days ago. They haven't made it to their checkpoint!" The terrier fell back onto the floor.

The couple's eyes widened, Jenna spoke. "They haven't?! When were they supposed to have checked in?"

"Two days ago," the terrier fell covered his eyes, "the lead probably tripped down a rocky hill- the sled been crushed! They're probably stranded out there all alone!"

Balto and Jenna turned to one another then they dashed out of the boiler room. All the dogs watched as they burst through the door.

"We've got to help Kodi, there were no storms recently, right?" Jenna said.

"Yeah, and the trail they were taking was pretty clear, that leaves only one possibility-" Balto said.

They spoke in unison. "They crashed!"

They blundered down the street, increasing their pace. "But how are we going to catch up to them in time? They've been traveling for days." Jenna said. They kept running for a moment, Balto skidded to a stop, just as they were about top exit town.

"I've got a ride with Duke, if I can guide him in the right direction-"

"-then we can make it." Jenna finished.

They looked towards Duke's plane, it was parked. Duke stood there, scrubbing the windows. They trotted over to the plane, Duke turned around and smiled. "There you are boy, I'm just about ready to go. Just gotta finish the last few things."

Balto hopped onto the plane's wing, then into the cockpit. Jenna got up onto the wing, and turned to jump into the cockpit, Balto spoke. "Jenna, you shouldn't come on this journey."

She huffed. "And why shouldn't I?"

"Because it might be dangerous- what if something even worse happens..." Balto drooped his ears and looked at his feet, "I can go save my son."

Jenna put her paws on the side of the cockpit, "He's our son Balto, and I'll do whatever it takes to be there for him."

"But-"

"The last time I sent you after one of our pups I never got to say goodbye. This time, I intend to go." Jenna said. She jumped into the cockpit next to Balto, he sighed.

"Just promise me you'll be careful, I wouldn't want anything to happen to you- Rosie would be heartbroken…" Balto pressed his ears against his head and turned it toward Jenna.

Jenna licked his cheek. "Don't fret you big worry hound, I'll be fine. Who saved you from a grizzly bear?"

Balto smiled. "That would be you Jenna."

Jenna smiled in her usual way. "And who lit the way home in the dark of night?"

"That would be you too." Balto nuzzled her. "I guess you're always there to save me."

"Ain't that the truth." Jenna finished. They sat next to each other, watching Duke make the final inspections to the plane. Finally, Duke grunted as he closed the engine door. "Well that should do it."

Duke looked up and saw the two canines sitting up in the cockpit. "So I see you've brought another flyer with us today. Haven't you boy?"

He stepped on the wing and scratched his chin, "So we've got two today…" he stood there for a moment, before climbing in. "Well, it's going to be a tight fit-" he squeezed in between the two, "but we can make it work."

He flipped the joystick and the engine began to spur. Jenna's brow frowned and she bit her lip, the plane began to move forward.

"You'll like it Jenna- you'll see." Balto said.

She gave a weak smile, the plane increased its speed. It began to shudder and Jenna flattened her ears.

"Here we go- here we go!" Duke howled.

Then, they were off.

They soared through the air and over the frozen plains of Alaska. The three had been flying for a good deal of time. Lucky for the couple, in the right direction. While Balto enjoyed the flight, he kept his eyes wide and ears open. Jenna on the other paw, did the same as Balto, while not so much as enjoying this excursion.

"I really don't see how you like this!" Jenna said. She looked towards a vast field, keeping an eye on Kodi's path.

"Come on Jenna! How can you not like this? Look at the trees, the mountains, the snow!" Balto exclaimed. His mouth was wide and ears perked.

In between the two sat Duke, he closed his eyes and breathed in the cool, mountain air. Then, opening his eyes, he checked the fuel gauge.

"15 gallons," he muttered, "we've got to turn back you guys."

Balto whined, he pressed his paw on the elevation pedal, the plane began to turn downwards.

Duke pulled him off the lever, "Hey, don't touch that boy."

He turned his gaze back towards the front of the plane, Balto pressed the lever again.

Duke pulled Balto off the pedal, "Stay off that boy, I don't want us to crash."

Balto pressed the lever once more, Duke pulled him off of it, "I told you to keep your paws off of that, I don't-" Duke paused and wrinkled his nose, "Let me guess, you want to land cause you have to use the bathroom."

Balto averted his gaze, Jenna chuckled. Balto nodded and Duke spoke. "Well then, I don't see why we can't make that happen."

The plane lurched downwards, Duke looked over the side. He nodded and aligned the plane over the field. The wind whipped at an incredible speed, the snow beneath the plane was disturbed and sent into the air. The plane touched the ground and set its wheels upon it. Duke guided it to a halt, turning off the engines. At last, the plane was still, Balto and Jenna hopped out, Duke followed suit.

"Alright boy, you can go- just be back here soon," Duke said, he moved to the engine door to peer at its hardware.

Balto raised his nose to the air, closing his eyes and taking in the wilderness. 'Pine, carcass, coyote, deer, Kaltag-'

"Jenna!" Balto exclaimed, "I've got their scent."

She ran to his side. "Great! But how do we get out of sight?"

Balto scanned the horizon, his tail flicked upwards and he spoke, "The tree line- we'll hide in the forest."

Balto looked toward Duke, who was still inspecting the plane's engine. He mouthed a 'Thank you' and dashed toward the tree line. Jenna looked back, and then followed Balto.

'Hold on Kodi,' she thought, 'just hold on.'