Previously in Chapter 1
"Slow down Solaris!" Kallisto warned. "We can't see where we're going in this we need to be careful! If we're going too fast then we'll lose control!"
"Kallisto be quiet!" Solaris snapped. "We don't have time to be slow! The other teams will catch up soon if we don't get a move on! If we lose this race it'll be your head!"
Determined to win Solaris practically dragged his team along. As the storm got rougher and rougher everyone was practically blinded. Solaris knew I he just pushed through it then victory would be at hand.
No one was able to see the white Ice. As soon as their paws hit it...all hell was unleashed. The guideline snapped and hit a husky, snapping their neck. Johan bailed out as the traces broke and sent every canine in the team rolling downhill.
The sled crashed into a rock sending splintered wood everywhere. "Everybody brace yourself!" Balto called out as he saw trees ahead. He slammed into one and felt something in his leg snap making him cry out.
Solaris was in shock as he rolled in the snow . 'My god...' He thought as he cracked his ribs on the hard on the hard ice. 'I've killed us all.'
When he landed Solaris felt his back legs snap. The pain didn't even register while he laid there in anguish. He'd failed everyone. Canine after canine eventually caught up hitting trees and frozen ice. Blood stained the snow bright red.
"Is...is everyone alright?" Balto shakily stood up. He looked upon his battered team who were covered in cuts and scratches. His eyes fell on one team mate in particular and practically howled. "No...nooooo!
'Wow, that went really really smooth Johan' Johan scolded himself mentally for that stupid rookie mistake, he shouldn't have risked everything for an advantage. it wasn't worth it, That was for sure
Upon seeing the damage to his equipment he realized it was hopeless to try and fix anything because it was only probably going to cause another crash and that was the last thing that he needed right now.
"Well it looks like we'll have to hitch a ride back to Nome. I honestly dont know what the hell just happened there guys" he said to his shattered team while surveying the extent of the damage done.
It was a pathetic sight for sure. All of this was his fault and he was at a loss for words upon seeing how bad it really was.
"I'm truly sorry guys" was all he could find to say.
Two of his team lay slain by the mountains and Solaris, his prized lead lay there near death just barely hanging on. this whole event had gone to hell in a handbasket at the blink of an eye. One second everything was fine. and now this.
Solaris looked upon his severely wounded brother in shock. Kallisto lay in a pool of his own blood the color of his fur. It flowed from a gash in his head. He wasn't moving at all which was a horrible sign. No breathing could be seen either.
Solaris tried to get up but cried out and fell again. It only now hit him that his back legs were broken. The pain was massive but the orange wolf-dog wasn't going to just lay there. He painfully crawled to his motionless brother. As he got closer and closer his heart grew heavier.
"Kallisto..." He panted weakly as he got to his brother, his family. Balto said something but Solaris didn't hear. "Come on brother wake up...there's no time for napping..."
Kallisto didn't answer as snow started to pile on top of him. Solaris shook his head in denial. "Kallisto stop playing around..." No answer. "If this is a joke..." He paused before shouting. "It's not funny! Wake the hell up!" No response...
Solaris's heart slowed to a stop. His eyes started to sting with moisture clouding his already blurred vision. There was no way...there was just no way...he nuzzled his brother's cheek softly with no result.
"Brother...please stay with me..." Solaris started to choke. The pool of Kallisto's blood had extended out so much that his paws were soaked in it. "No please! Dammit no not you! Stay with me brother! You can't leave! Not after those horrible things I said to you! Not after I just lost us the race! You were everything too me...KALLISTO!"
Solaris's words fell on dear ears. Kallisto was gone and with all his hopes and dreams. Everything the red wolf-dog did in his life ended not with a bang but with a whimper. He'd never get the full recognition he deserved. All the struggle, turmoil, and anguish had amounted to nothing absolutely nothing.
All of this because one dog couldn't slow down. One dog couldn't get the thought of victory out of his prideful heart. One dog killed his brother in an act of selfishness and the want of Instant gratification. When these thoughts weighed on his heart Solaris howled in anguish. It rang through the snowy peaks in a tone that would make most hug their loved ones and burst into bitter tears.
Every sled dog on the team including Balto was speechless. Their hearts were breaking at the loss of their most loyal comrade. The Hero of Nome himself trembled as bitter tears went down his muzzle. It was nothing compared to Solaris who bawled and buried his face into his dead brother's side.
He was heaving and trembling so much that he was shaking all over. Tears came out in buckets from his eyes. The world had ended. All he Solaris wanted to do was fade away into nothing. It as his fault all his fault.
"We have to move him Solaris." Balto dried his tears and padded up to his last brother alive. "Come on."
Solaris wouldn't move however. He wasn't hearing it or anyone for that matter. Johan looked at the heartbreaking scene with so much guilt. He hardly noticed when a passing team slowed to a stop.
"Hey!" Another musher called out. "Are you folks alright?!
"Not really, our equipment is destroyed and we're pretty banged up, We kinda slid off the mountain there, My lead is in terrible shape and needs immediate medical attention. I have extra harnessing gear if there's any way we can blend with your team and hitch a ride back to Nome. that would be great" Johan said dejectedly.
This had certainly not been his day or week. Not only did he lose a key member of his team and a friend but he lost about $10,000 in sledding equipment and other stuff. So he was out of commission as far as racing went for a good while now.
This was just one of those days where it sucked to be a musher or him period. He had no idea how he'd ever make this up to Solaris, the poor guy was not only fighting for his very life because of him but he also had the weight of the world crushing down on his lonely soul after losing his closest friend and brother. And it was all his fault for not being more cautious up there in bad weather. If he could do it all over again he would have thought it through more before trying to push too hard with damaged equipment.
Furthermore he was now in severe debt because of the destroyed equipment. He had no idea how he'd make $10,000 to replace the losses. He cant race or work for any government services and he never went to law school so being a cop was not in the cards for him either. What else was going to go wrong this week. How would he pay his bills every month with no job. So many questions. But right now nothing mattered but getting back to Nome first
"I think we have enough room on here for a few more teammates, Nome is only about 60 miles from here, We can be there in about an hour if we're smooth enough with a team this big" the other team's Musher stated.
"How can I ever repay you?" Johan asked to the unexpected helping hand
"It's nothing really, it's my job, It's what I do" the man chuckled "Let's get you guys home" he added kindly
As the team was merged Balto, Solaris, the late Kallisto, and another dead husky were on the sled with the mushers. The rest of the way wasn't too bad considering all that happened. Solaris didn't pay attention though. His eyes greyed out along with about a third of his fur. The shock was already destroying him mentally and physically.
Nothing made sense anymore. He hardly even registered that he'd moved. All he cared about was that his brother was dead and so was his soul. He never stopped nuzzling his brother even as Nome was in sight. There was no cheering from the merged team because there was non to be had.
The loss of their sled mates wasn't something Solaris's team considered victory. The storm seemed to perfectly represent the mood as lightning struck and thunder cracked. It was a rare occurrence but it fit well with the blanket of loss and despair. At last they'd made it to Nome with a hundred happy and cheerful townsfolk.
The victor had been decided. The winner was...two mushers? Confusion swept the crowd as they saw several wounded dogs in a merged team. It only took seeing the mournful look on Johan's face to know what happened.
There had been a crash and one hell of one. "Someone get the medical team!" One of the referees called out. "There's been an accident!"
As they made to the vet's office. The first person that was on the scene to greet them was the town's doc and his shocked tone and expression said a thousand words already
"What the hell happened, Who needs help and most importantly are you ok bud?" he asks the still dejected and disoriented Johan
"Don't worry about you, my team needs you now more than I do, We dont have much time, My lead Solaris has lost a lot of fluids in the return trip and is not doing well at all, he needs severe attention" Johan said, the weight of the situation finally setting down on his conscience.
"I'll do all I can for him, I can't make any guarantees" the doc said back grimly
"You've got to try doc, He's the only immediate family Balto here's got left after today's events, their other brother Kallisto was killed in the crash and their both a trainwreck right now. Please help this poor guy live, He deserves better than this and it's all my fault this even happened" he added as his voice cracked from all the sadness. He hid it well until right now
A few hours passed by and after a few hours of intense surgery, Solaris was sedated and moved into an ICU for overnight care and observation. He had been through total hell this day and the fact he was alive was truly and act of god above, or you could say a certain white wolf and god above anyways
"We've done all we could, he had quite a few compound fractures that we repaired, We've also treated his wounds and closed them up the best we could, He needs to rest and move as little as possible, We have him sedated and on medication to help with his pain right now. He's been moved and admitted to our ICU for overnight evaluation and will be allowed to be seen tomorrow morning, Poor guy's been through hell and back and has a long rehab process ahead. He probably has post tramatic stress too which will he will need help with, Beyond that its out of my control and my crew's control. By the grace of god above he'll survive and pull through. He's not out of the woods yet, We'll probably keep him here this whole week to ensure he gets the care he needs 24/7" the doc told a waiting nearby Johan as he stepped out of the ER
"How much will it cost doc?"
"Don't worry about it son, He means too much to our town, We'll take care of him, you just worry about sorting your own life out, it's on the town" the doc reassured. The town itself picked up the medical tab. This had been a really trying week and day. Now all they could do was let time and rest take its course.
Solaris didn't know when he'd passed out but it happened. He slowly opened his eyes but felt a pain in his head so he shut them. What had happened to him? Why did his head hurt hurt? When he blindly tried to stand a sharp pain shot through his back legs making him fall back down to his belly.
"Easy there Solaris." A familiar voice said to him. The orange wolf-dog slowly opened his eyes to see Balto watching him from a bedside. Now he was really confused. He looked around realizing quickly he was in the infirmary. He saw Johan on the other side with a grave look on his face.
Then it all came back to him like a punch in the gut. The sled race, the storm, the crash, and...Kallisto...
Tears welled up in his eyes as he remembered it all. His brother was dead...his dream was dead...he groaned in mental pain and anguish.
"Solaris calm down!" Balto pleaded.
"He's gone!" Solaris grieved and cried. "Kallisto is gone!"
That day...everything changed...a dead brother and a damaged lead dog...Nome had seen better days...
Song (C) 2013 Mutiny Within
"Become"
No more sorrow,
Now I pay the price,
Will this world turn around for me,
Or have I take my final turn,
No more salvation,
An ending never in stone,
I know I can't touch you,
You're still in my head,
And it's hard just to let you go,
I know you're not with me,
You're part of my soul,
And I can't deny you,
Give me the strength to walk away from this,
I am fighting,
But getting nowhere,
Hollow nothing,
Can't forget this,
Just a soul in a sea of woe,
I know I can't touch you,
You're still in my head,
And it's hard just to let you go,
I know you're not with me,
You're part of my soul,
And I can't deny you,
Sorrow,
Consumes my soul,
Once more,
Once more
I can't justify this life,
I have no reason to start again,
Can't forget what I've become,
I know I can't touch you,
You're still in my head,
And it's hard just to let you go,
I know you're not with me,
You're part of my soul,
And I can't deny you