DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN ANYTHING ASSOCIATED WITH BALTO.
THE NEXT MORNING
I woke slowly to the smell of breakfast. I missed this. Hunting was great, but cooked food was better. My companions caught their first sight of me in the kitchen, Balto and Jenna with them. All of them were shocked to see me. Rosie's mom was merrily humming away, setting food in front of all of us.
"Serena..." my friends said, then bolted over and tackled me to the floor, both of them waling on me like it was going out of style.
"Stop!" Rosie's mom commanded. They looked up at her with identical looks of stay out of this. "Not in the houe."
They sighed and looked at me.
"If you EVER pull a stunt like that again, I'll be the first to kill you," Demona threatened.
"Then I'll bring you back and kill you again!" Lily added. Both of them were obviously furious with me. In response, I threw them off and spun on them, bareing my teeth.
"You were supposed to be PROTECTING HER!" I snarled. Both of them quickly backed off. They knew my temper well.
"It's not thier fault," Jenna tried to defend them. A low snarl at her shut her up.
"She just wanted to find you and I-I-I thought you wouldn't be that far away," Lily tried to defend herself.
"We thought you'd just be up in the-" I cut Demona off.
"FOREST!" I all but screamed. Both seemed to shrink. "You let a CHILD enter the FOREST when you both KNOW you can't protect her there?"
Both continued to back away from me as I advanced.
"Where were WE almost killed?" I snarled.
"The forest," Lily answered immediately, fear in every word.
"Where were our very BEINGS destroyed?"
"The forest," Demona answered.
"What have I told you and have you learned about THAT?"
Neither of them said anything, just continued to shrink away from me. With a low huff of annoyance I turned around and went back to my food. The humans had just watched the whole thing in silence.
"Consider yourselves fortunate that you're all ready injured," I commented, my voice completely calm, almost silky. I finished my food, then left the house. I headed straight for the mail team whom were getting ready to run. I looked at the dog that had taken my place.
"Mind if I take back my spot just for this morning?" I asked, immediately catching everyone's attention. "I need to blow off some steam."
"Serena!" the entire group said, each of them torn between wanting to welcome me back and not wanting to antagonize my fury any further. The dog smiled and nodded.
"Just... don't run off again," he told me. I nodded with a small smile, then lost it as I caught sight of Demona and Lily. A low snarl built in my throat, my ears going flat against my head. Mr. Simpson read it correctly and rapidly put me in the harness, then sped us away before my friends were in attacking range. It took a few minutes of running and cooling down to realize that I was in Kodi's harness, lead dog, and Kodi was in mine... and I was running a great deal faster than the others were used to. They were having trouble keeping up. So, I slowed my pace a great deal, much to their silent relief and our musher's knowing smile.
"Feel better, Serena?" he asked. I nodded but continued to push forward. We reached White Mountain in record time. I stopped and let the other dogs rest for a moment while they exchanged the mail. Mr. Simpson then came up and sat down next to my head.
"Take a few minutes," he told me. "My team isn't used to that speed."
I nodded and laid down.
"You're upset with your companions," he stated. I nodded. "For not protecting Rosie and allowing her into the forest when they know it's dangerous?"
Again, I nodded. He sighed.
"I've noticed that, without you to guide them, they are more like young pups," he revealed to me. I looked at him. "Both seemed completely lost when you disappeared. They didn't play, didn't run, wouldn't eat... They were a mess."
I laid my head on my paws. He lightly petted my back.
"I hope you never leave us again, little one," he said. I just sighed, then licked his fingers, making him smile. We sat there for a few more minutes, then got up and began to run back to Nome. The others had yet to say a word to me, but I didn't expect them to. Once I was out of the harness, I turned to the rest of the team, an apologetic look on my face.
"Sorry about the trip there," I apologized. "Running's just one way for me to blow off steam... I should have taken into consideration the rest of the team."
With that, I turned around and began to walk away.
"Serena, wait," Kodi said, running up next to me. I looked at him, waiting. "It's okay. That's the best time we've ever had on mail run."
I smiled at his obvious attempt to make me feel a little better. Against my better judgement, I took a huge chance right now.
"Kodi, do you know any good places to relax here?" I asked. "Away from everyone else?"
Immediately, he nodded and guided me to a place under the doctor's office. It was dirty as all hell, but it worked.
"What's down here?" I asked softly.
"Something very beautiful," he answered. I got sludge of some sort on my nose and looked at him as he easily took it off with his paw.
"Not likely," I muttered. He just smiled.
"Just wait and watch," he said, gesturing for me to sit down. I obeyed and watched as he gathered broken glass bottles together in front of him, blocking the light with his body. I looked at him, my gaze curious. He smiled, then stepped out of the way. The aurora shown bright on the northern wall, a sight that stole my breath away.
"Oh Kodi..." I whispered. "You were right. It is beautiful..."
He smiled secretly, almost as if he was answering me in his mind, though not willing to share. I smiled at him and sat down right next to him, close enough for our pelts to touch. I placed my snout under his chin and just watched the lights, relaxing completely. It took him a few seconds, but he nuzzled me back.
"Serena?" came Rosie's half-sick voice. I pulled away and quickly made for the entrance, then exited through the boiler room. Rosie was halfway down the street, wrapped up from head to toe in winter gear. I walked up to her with a smile and she smiled back at me.
"Serena, it's time to come home," she said, her voice hoarse from coughing. I let her lean on me as we went back to the house. Once inside, I sat in front of the fire, then looked at my filthy fur. I let out a whine of dismay, catching the parents' attention. Without a second thought, I reached up and grabbed the wash rag on the sink and began to clean the spots where I'd tracked filth in, my feet, too.
"Oh, Serena, just give me a moment," the mom said, then led me back to the shower. After testing the water, she had me get in the tub and she began to spray me down. All the blackish stuff came off. She then scrubbed me down with shampoo and rinsed that out. After that, she went to get a towel, but I stopped her with a low whine. She looked at me, confused. I pointed at the conditioner, then gave another whine. With a smile, she turned back on the water and soaked me up again. Then she used the conditioner. I felt my fur going soft and leaned into it. She then rinsed it all out, then went to get the towel. Before she came back, I closed the curtain as best I could, then shook my fur out until I felt none of it sticking to me. She came back in the middle of me doing this and now looked at me with a smile as she pulled the curtain back and began drying me off, too. Once she was done, we both went back out to the main room, me taking my usual place by the fire.
"How are you doing?" asked Lily. I sighed.
"I'm not sure yet," I answered. "But I guess I can forgive the two of you for acting so foolishly."
Both of them relaxed, grateful.
"Thanks," they chorused. I nodded, then laid my head down. I was tired after a draining day like this.
Slowly, I woke the next morning to the scent of french toast, sausage, and hash browns. I stretched with a yawn, then relaxed once more. My two companions were near me, also slowly waking to this day.
"What are you gonna do now?" asked Lily. I shrugged.
"Probably something stupid," I answered.
"Okay," Demona said, a grin forming on her face. "You've all ready done that."
"Then something crazy," I continued. We all three grinned.
"That's more like it," Lily teased. We all laughed. Then Balto and Jenna appeared in the house, looking over at us.
"Morning," I greeted them warmly. Immediately, they relaxed.
"Morning, Serena," Jenna said warmly. "Welcome home."
I nodded and then Rosie's Mom put down our breakfast. I ate my plateful, then pushed the plate over to the counter near the sink. After all, my mouth couldn't lift it up, but I was as close as I could get. With a nod to everyone else, I then took my leave, walking out into the open air.
"Serena, did you sleep well?" asked Kodi, coming over to step up next to me. I nodded.
"About last night, thank you," I told him. "You were very generous with your time and I'm grateful."
He nodded with a smile.
"The mail team's getting ready to leave so..."
"You'd best get going," I finished with a small smile. He turned to leave, but I tugged lightly on his collar. He paused and looked back at me. I leaned over and gave him a small, soft kiss on the cheek, then turned and walked away. I didn't even take time to see his reaction as I made my way towards the outskirts of town, over towards where Muk and Luk were tormenting Boris and Stella.
"Boys!" Stella was saying. "Enough all ready!"
They were splashing in the puddles just to get the two geese wet. It was amusing.
"So," I said simply, sitting down at the edge. "This is what you do for fun."
All of them jumped at the sound of my voice, only relaxing when they realized who I was.
"Hey, Serena!" Muk said as he and his brother came over to sit next to me. "Wanna play a game with us?"
"As long as it doesn't involve tormenting Boris and Stella, sure," I answered them. Both nodded immediately, telling me they'd play by my rules. Both geese looked grateful and I gave them the tiniest nod I could manage before leading the two bears away.
"Now, here's the rules," Muk said. "We hide... and you try to find us."
I struggled to choke back my laughter, to keep my face vacant of expression.
"Very well," I answered. "Go, then. I'll stay here and close my eyes. I'll count to thirty and then I'll come find you."
"Great!" Muk said. I sighed and laid down, resting my head on my paws as I closed my eyes.
This was going to be rediculously easy.
I wasn't sure how long we played before the mail team came out to play. Kodi actually seemed a bit nervous to approach me, something I found highly amusing.
"You guys are a whole thirteen minutes late," I teased. In response, I got lightly pushed over by Kirby.
"Just because we don't race to beat the retreat doesn't mean we're late," he answered cockily. I rolled my eyes.
"I'll keep that in mind next time Mel has a meltdown," I stated calmly, then jumped on the two not-so-hidden polar bears. They screamed in fright and I laughed, dancing out of their reach.
"You guys really need to work on blending in," I told them. "Game's over for now. We can play again another time."
They both nodded and shot me big smiles before they walked away, probably to get into even more trouble than before.
"I can't believe you actually play with them," Dusty said. I shrugged.
"Figured Boris and Stella could use some alone time, away from those two annoying bears," I answered simply, then turned and began to leave.
"Serena, wait," Kodi said, stepping up next to me. "Why don't you... play with us?"
I quirked a brow at him. I was enjoying how he squirmed under my gaze, knowing his friends were the only reason he had the nerve to ask me this. He had been far too nervous when he came out here and saw me. I had no doubts they'd planned this while on mail run.
"Sure," I said finally, almost laughing at how he relaxed. "What are we playing?"
"Tag," Kirby answered. "Since you're new, you can be It. The only rule is no tag-backs."
I nodded and everyone scattered. I didn't hesitate and went after the slowest dog, tagging him, then running off to avoid getting tagged again. We played this for hours until I was tagged again. This time, I went specifically after a certain red-and-white male. I pounced to tag, but sent us both over a hill, rolling down to the bottom, me on top. We were laughing too hard to get up, not that a part of me really even wanted to.
"Ooo!" teased Lily from the top of the hill.
"Love on the playing field!" added Demona. I blushed and got up, letting Kodi up, too. We went back to the top of the hill, only to get laughter and jeers from the rest of the mail team... minus Dusty. She didn't look too happy with me.
"So... who's It?" asked Kirby. I grinned and gave a soft, teasing nip to Kodi's neck, then raced away. He shook his head in mild surprise, then shot off after the rest of us, bound to get this game back on track. We played until the sun began to set, then I sighed. Lily and Demona gave me knowing looks, but I ignored them for the most part. We all said our goodnights and split up, the three of us heading back to Rosie's.
"Serena, wait," Kodi called, coming to walk beside me, behind the other two. They both snickered and I shot them mild dirty looks before focusing on Kodi. "Why don't you spend the night at... at my place?"
"Moving a little fast, aren't you?" Lily asked, teasing. He flushed, but didn't retract his offer.
"Sounds like this boy has a thing for you, Serena," teased Demona. Kodi's blush deepened.
"Oh, go home," I told them, amused and annoyed with them at the same time. They laughed and did as told. "I'd love to, Kodi, if the offer's still good."
He nodded, glad to have my undivided attention now.
"Um..." he hesitated, but lead me to his house. "About... about earlier, before the mail run..."
"Mmhm?" I prompted, showing him that I was a great deal more relaxed than he was.
"Did that kiss..."
"Did that kiss mean anything?" I guessed. He nodded. I smiled. "If it didn't, hon, I wouldn't have done it. It was both a thank-you and a hope that we could spend time like that together again."
His nervousness went up another notch.
"Though, why did Dusty not seem pleased with me during tag?" I asked casually. He frowned, losing his nervousness.
"She's been trying to get me to date her for quite some time," he answered. "But I just can't see her like that."
I nodded, understanding.
"And you can see me like that?" I asked. He blushed again, but nodded, getting nervous again. "Why so nervous around me? I don't bite... much."
He only blushed more. Fortunately, he was saved from answering as his musher opened the door, letting us into that warm home. I immediately made myself at home in front of the fire, laying on my side, my head on my paws. The musher seemed surprised to see me, up until Kodi laid down behind me, his head resting on my neck. The musher smiled and picked up the phone.
"Yeah, it's Simpson," he said. "Serena's here for the night. Looks like I might have pups out of Kodi, yet!"
Kodi tensed and blushed. I laughed.
"I agree," he said, then paused to listen. "I know... All right... Sure thing... Bye."
Then he hung up. I was still chuckling at Kodi. He was still very uncomfortable. So... I lifted my head, forcing him to lift his own. I turned to him and lightly began to wash his face. With every stroke of my tongue, he relaxed a little more. After a few moments, I stopped and laid back down.
"No need to be nervous around me, Kodi," I told him softly. "Keep it up and I'll come up with different ways to relax you."
He blushed again, but smiled. He began to nuzzle my neck and I let him, closing my eyes with a smile. I heard the door open again, smelled the rest of the team come into the room, but I paid no heed. The only thing on my mind was the feel of Kodi's nose going through my fur.
"What is she doing here?" Dusty demanded. My relaxed state was gone. I stood with a low snarl, catching the musher's attention. Dusty and I faced eachother, teeth bared and hackles raised, ears flat against our heads. Kodi immediately stepped between us. I stepped down, sitting down patiently. Dusty did not.
"I invited her, Dusty," Kodi answered her. "The musher has no issues with her."
Dusty's fury went up another notch. With a low growl, she launched herself over Kodi towards me. I neatly sidestepped and watched her land bad on on her front leg. There was a sickening crack that rang through the room. Dusty howled in pain, then whimpered as the musher quickly called the vet. Kodi came over and sat down beside me. I placed my head under his, needing reassurance that this wasn't going to come back and haunt me. He nuzzled me back, comforting me as best he could.
The vet came rushing through the door, right over to Dusty. She whimpered and occassionally yelped as he felt over the injured limb. The musher filled him in on what had happened. Personally, I liked how his version sounded.
"She came in with the others and saw Serena here," the musher told him. "Next thing I know, both of them were ready to attack. Kodi stepped between them and Serena backed down. Dusty didn't and jumped, landing on her foot wrong."
"Well, Mr. Simpson, her leg's broken," Dr. Antos said. "I'll have to take her down to the clinic to get it set and on the mend. Help me carry her."
Mr. Simpson nodded and the two men carefully carried Dusty out the door. The rest of the team looked at me. I sighed.
"I'm sorry," I said, feeling very guilty. Almost immediately, all of them were telling me not to apologize, telling me it was okay, telling me I'd done nothing wrong. I was grateful, but I still felt bad. So, with a meaningful look at Kodi, I left through the dog-door, over to the vet. I walked on in and sat down on a chair near the table Dusty was on. She only whimpered, but I could see the hate in her eyes.
"This will hurt," I warned her gently. "I want you to hold still as best you can until it's done or the bone won't set right. If it doesn't, you may never run again."
"Why do you care, homewrecker?" she spat. I rolled my eyes.
"Because that team needs you," I answered. "Ralph loves you, but you're too blind to notice. The fact that your musher called the vet so quickly says that he needs and loves you, too. Stop being bitter and childish. There's more to the world than a few broken hearts. Take it from someone who found out the hard way."
Then I got down and left the clinic. From there, I went back to the house and curled up in front of the fire, Kodi soon curling up behind me. I smiled at him, giving him a soft kiss, before I closed my eyes.
"How's Dusty?" asked Ralph, obviously worried. I smiled softly.
"She'll recover," I answered. "She just needs time. She won't be running any time soon, so you'll need a replacement in your mail-run line-up. She'll be out for at least three weeks. But, past that, she'll still be Dusty."
He nodded and relaxed. I relaxed as well and slowly fell into a blissful slumber.