Author's Notes:
So I'm gone for a few days to work on reviewing the next four chapters, and imagine my surprise that when I return to this site, I find eleven reviews have been posted within the first weekend. The response to this fic has so far been mixed, due to the darker tone and homo-erotic scenes in chapter two (something that isn't exactly new to my stories, but rather something that I haven't put under a microscope until now). Still, I can't complain. A little constructive criticism is always helpful to a writer, especially one that struggled just to get two people to read his fics only a year ago. So before you guys start reading this one, I'd like to respond to some of your comments.
* 1PastandPresent1 - None taken. I don't mind that much when people criticize my work, because it means they've been paying enough attention to the plot to notice my mistakes, whether they're big or small. A lot of times, I tend to use too many commas. It's a bad habit of mine. If you read my previous fics, the Salvation trilogy, you'll notice that the sentences run on way too long. I'll try to fix the comma thing the best I can, but it won't be easy. Also, me missing a few words is pretty common too. These chapters are so long that when I review them my eyes start to get tired from looking at the same thing over and over again, so I actually don't notice the missing words. It takes me at least two or three tries to spot what should be really obvious. So, it'll take a while, but I'll try to smooth that out too.
Finally, there's chapter two. Chapter 2 was actually so vulgar that I thought about raising the rating to mature because of it, but eventually decided that since no sex actually takes place in this story, it still fits within the confines of a T story (trust me, if any of you guys are 17 and you've ever seen an R rated movie, you've probably seen and heard things a lot worst than sled dogs talking about sex).
And as for the language in this fic, I apologize for that. Before I started writing chapter 1, I decided that sled dogs are like sailors in the canine world. They know a wide variety of curses and swears, and they use them whenever they get the chance (except for Kodi and his team, who are the rare exception to the rule). I held back a little for "Heritage of the Wolf", but since this story has a much more adult feel to it I allowed them to be a bit more vulgar.
Steele's speech about Griff's masturbating was actually something I thought about for a while. Because I figured that after reading that section, people would react in three ways. One, they would be completely unfazed (albeit a little creeped out), and keep reading because they want to know what happens next. Two, they would be totally grossed out, and would stop reading this fic in fear that dogs would start humping each other in the next chapter. And three, they would start to get turned on around the same time as Griff, and start to question their sexual preference. As you can guess, the first two are the ones that are most likely.
It's technically not possible for dogs to masturbate, since they don't have thumbs like humans do. But I've always pictured the dogs in Nome being a lot like Charlie and Itchy from "All Dogs Go To Heaven". In other words, being able to stand on two feet as well as four, and use their paws as hands (hence, all the scenes of dogs rocking out in the Old Mill). Besides, there's only so many ways you can forcibly out someone as being gay, and I thought it was better than having Steele seduce Griff in front of the entire team (then we'd be going from an angst fic to a porn-without-plot in just a few paragraphs).
The point is, this isn't just something I put in because I was bored and I wanted to make Steele kiss another guy. Even though Steele is crazy hot for a bad guy, and I'm totally digging the idea of him and another guy-dog (Balto or Kaltag) getting it on, that's an idea best saved for an M-rated fic. The confrontation between Steele, Blake and Griff is actually important to the plot, because it introduces the rest of Steele's team. And their story directly intertwines with Kodi and Dusty's story later on. So everything in this fic, even the disturbing parts, happens for a reason.
Anyway, now that you guys have bypassed chapter 2, the worst is over. They'll be a few more mentions of sex in this fic (it's nothing new really, Devil, Wilson, and Cookie dominated a lot of "Salvation, Part 1" with their rapist thoughts about Jenna), but it'll be nowhere near as bad as it was in the first two chapters. From here on out, the plot will be mostly about Kodi trying to protect his wife and unborn child, and Steele deciding whether or not to take his anger out on Balto's son.
* Guest User - I know, this fic is a new experience to me too. But I feel it's one I've been ready for for a while now. Since I'm gay myself, there has always been a hint of gayness in my fics, even in the "Heritage of the Wolf" ones. Though not a lot of people notice it, Wilson was a bisexual character, and had lustful thoughts about both Balto and Jenna in chapter 10 of "Salvation, Part 1". And in Part 2, Kaltag makes a joke about how he and his teammates should just date guys since they can't seem to pick up any girls. So there has always been a homo-erotic subtext to my work, the only difference is before I only did a few jokes and innuendos. Here, the tone has changed considerably, and male characters literally start making out, which might shock a few of my straight readers.
I understand that everyone has their own opinion, and that not everyone is comfortable with different morals and different lifestyle choices. I'm not angry with you for voicing your opinion. Quite the opposite. I'm happy that you've been reading my fics, and will take the time to look at the summaries to see which ones you'd be interested in. After all, no one's forcing me to like every guyxgirl fic out there, so I'm not gonna try to force gay ones down your throat.
The reason I write such a wide variety of stories is so that everyone can find something that they'd like, gay or straight (or bisexual). Whether it's the story of a wolf-dog and his husky girlfriend, or an action fic with kung fu warriors, or even a romantic mystery about a boy reporter and an alcoholic sea captain (God, I've been wanting to write a fic about Tintin and Captain Haddock for so long now. It would be really fun to put an American spin on something that's always been timelessly European). That variety is also why I try to pack in as much information about my stories as I can in the short summary space I'm allowed, so my readers can know what they're getting themselves into before they start reading the first chapter.
I can't promise you all my stories will be as conventional as the Salvation trilogy. I've got a lot upcoming fics that slash male characters, stories that might offend anyone under the age of 18. In fact, after "Salvation, Part 3", there's another "Heritage of the Wolf" fic I've got planned that will involve Balto and Kaltag helping a gay sled dog regain his sense of self-esteem. So my anonymous friend, I hope you continue to read my fics, and I hope my summaries are helpful enough to continue to help you find something that you'd so like in my wide variety of upcoming fics.
* Unshippedcorpse - I know, Balto fics are really hard to come by. And what's even more sad is that a lot of them are unfinished, and will probably never be finished. So there's a lot of wasted potential for Balto and his friends, in both the movies and internet fanfiction. Because there are so many different things that can be done with the wolf-dog and his family, thousands of different scenarios that can be explored, that aren't done, simply because fans of the movie want to stay true to the plot of the sequels.
Trying something new is actually why Kodiwolf321 and I wrote this fic, because there are hardly any stories where Kodi meets Steele, and there's a lot of potential there for a fanfic. Whether it's a rivalry between the two, or an unlikely alliance. What's more, I never though that I'd ever write a collaboration fic. But this experience was even better working with Kodiwolf321, who pitched some of this story's best ideas (Dusty being pregnant in this fic was Tom's idea, which makes for an interesting complication later on).
* That Nerd Next Door - I feel kinda bad for Balto too. Somehow, the idea of the bad guy winning their fight just feels wrong, doesn't it? Still, I felt it was kind of necessary for Steele to rough Balto up a bit, to make his character really scary again. Because in the movie, and most fanfics based off the movie, Steele has always been portrayed as a coward. Someone who talks big but only picks fights when he has gang behind him, and only strikes when the humans have turned their backs.
Well, that's a bit different in this fic. Here, Steele is not only bisexual, but he's also a genuine badass character, capable of dominating over Balto in a fight. You know what he's capable of now, so it really makes you afraid for Kodi when he finally confronts his family's enemy later on (which is good, because you want to be afraid, or otherwise the plot is just boring and unrealistic).
* Kodiwolf321 - When we were thinking up this story, I never thought we'd actually finish it. For such a simple premise, it took us forever to finally figure out what this fic was gonna be about, and how it would end. But so far people seem to be responding to it pretty well, and the plot holds together quite nicely. Plus, the music for Steele that you wrote fits right in with the context of this chapter. I know there must have been a lot of times when I asked you to trust me, and you had no reason to do so. But it means a lot that you had faith in me with this project. So thanks for making my first collaboration fic awesome.
Well now that this incredibly long author's note is over, let's get on with the story. Sorry there's only two week. But what happens in these two should prove to be quite shocking. Kodi pulls a move that would his make father proud.
Chapter 5: The Sins of the Father.
Blake, Griff, Jake, Ron, and Hal strolled down the streets of White Mountain. They loved days like these. Days when there was no work to do, and they could spend all day doing nothing. It was also on rare days like this that they had time to meet other sled dogs, and hear the spectacular experiences their fellow dogs had had on the Last Frontier. Not that they believed any of it, but it was still fun to hear about.
And then Blake saw just the dog he was looking for. Steele, storming down the street with his head to the ground, and his ears flattened against his head. "Hey Steele! What are you-", Blake asked, before the malamute shoved past him, acting as if his teammate hadn't even spoken.
Blake groaned, and rubbed his sore shoulder, before staring at back Steele. The malamute continued to walk in the same pace, never slowing down and never looking back. As if his short encounter with Blake had never even happened. That wasn't like Steele. Granted, he had always been a snarky, egotistical jerk. But for the past 21 months, Steele had been an empty shell of dog, who rarely showed an emotion about anything. But now he seemed so angry, so much like his old self. What had changed? What could have possibly have been so significant to him that it could have brought Steele out of his pity party? "What's his problem?", Blake wondered, thinking out loud again.
"What isn't his problem?", Ron grumbled.
"I know. I don't know how that guy was ever a leader. He doesn't care about anybody but himself", Jake said, frowning.
"I don't think so. I think there's some part of him that cares about others, even if he never listens to it", Blake thought, disagreeing with the dog in his head. He then glanced back at the direction Steele had just left, hoping to see what could have caused the malamute's sour mood. The only thing he saw was a dog sled team. Out-of-towners, just like them, by the looks of it. To most, they would have paid the team no attention and went on about their day. But Blake wasn't like most dogs. And the newcomers' presence was enough to make him curious. "Hey, let's go say hi to that team over there", Blake suggested.
"What? Why?", Ron asked, surprised.
"To be nice. After all, we're all sled dogs. Aren't we supposed to be friendly to our fellow sled dogs?", Blake retorted, quickly thinking up an excuse, before walking down the street in the direction Steele had just came.
The dog's teammates sighed, but followed Blake nonetheless. After all, they had nothing better to do all day.
((()-()))
Miles away, a lone wolf-dog laid on top of his trawler, tossing and turning in his sleep. Like he normally did around this time of the day, Balto was just lying in the sun, catching some Zs before heading over to Jenna's house to visit. But this afternoon nap was different than his usual ones.
Usually, he slept soundly and hardly made any noise once he closed his eyes, enjoying the blissful feeling that was slumber. But today, his calm and peaceful dreams were much more disturbing and chaotic. So much that he was actually mumbling in sleep, horrified by the images that were flashing in his mind.
Eventually, the wolf-dog's golden yellow eyes snapped open, and he gasped for air. He hadn't dreamed anything that unsettling since his last few days with his daughter Aleu, over two years ago. And while most people would have just brushed off as a bad dream, Balto knew better than that now. He knew he only had nightmares like that when the universe was trying to tell him something. Which meant something very bad was going to very soon. And he had to be there for it. The fate of his family depended on it.
((()-()))
Back in White Mountain, Kodi and his teammates, Kirby and Ralph, stood next to their musher's sled, waiting there until Mr. Simpson returned. Their musher had left to check them into the White Mountain inn, and Dusty had decided to go with him, while Kodi and the rest of his friends waited at the sled. Partly because they were lazy, and partly because Kodi wanted to talk to them about something that he didn't want Dusty to know about.
"I can't believe it. I raced with Balto. He's one of the most honest and honorable dogs I've ever met. He would never steal anything from anyone", Kirby insisted, talking to red-furred friend.
"That's what I said", Kodi replied, frowning at the memory of that malamute snapping at him.
"And you, you're no thief", Ralph snorted.
Kodi raised his eyebrow. "What's that supposed to mean?", Kodi asked, annoyed.
"It means you ain't got the guts to steal something kid", Kirby said, grinning.
"I could be a thief if I wanted to", Kodi replied. However, the only reply that he got this time was his three friends laughing at him. As if the idea was so funny.
Before Kodi could say something else, five other dogs suddenly walked up to the sled, taking the husky by surprise. "Hey there!", one of them said, walking right up to Kodi, while his friends followed close behind. "Name's Blake. These are my friends, Griff, Ron, Hal, and Jake. You're new in town, aren't you?", the dog asked, extending his paw.
Kodi smiled, and eagerly shook the other dog's paw. It wasn't just because he was trying to be polite. He sincerely liked meeting other people. "Name's Kodi. We're just delivering mail from Nome. We'll be spending the night here before we head back tomorrow", Kodi explained.
"Kodi? As in Kodi, the son of Balto? The kid who helped his dad save the bush pilot last year?", Blake asked, his eyes widening.
"The same", Kodi replied, grinning now.
Blake laughed, and shook Kodi's paw even harder. "A chip off the old block", the sled dog said.
"Heh, you're a whole lot bigger now than you were the last time I saw you kid. I see your dream of being a sled dog finally paid off. You must have remembered all the stuff we taught you", Jake said, shaking Kodi's paw as well.
"What stuff are you talking about? I've never met you before", Kodi asked, cocking his head.
"Oh right, you were too young then to remember us, weren't you? You were such a small little tyke", Ron said, chuckling.
Kodi blushed, and cleared his throat, as he heard Ralph and Kirby laughing behind him. "Um, if I did meet you guys when I was a pup, what did you teach me?", Kodi asked, desperately wanting to change the subject.
"The same thing you just did when you came in. I'm the guy who taught you how to park a sled, remember?", Jake asked.
Kodi held his breath, and racked his brain, trying to sort through the hazy jumble of images that were his childhood memories. After all, it had only been two years for humans, but for a dog that was fourteen years, an entire decade and a half.
Finally, in some of his oldest and cloudiest memories, Kodi found a brief image of him walking up to a sled dog and asking him for pointers. The dog had proudly obliged, and one of the things he told him was to always thrust his paws forward before stopping, to give himself time to slow down before slamming on the brakes completely.
Kodi gasped, and grinned at the dogs standing before him. "It really is you guys", he said, laughing just like Blake. Just seeing some of the friends he had made as a child made him feel like a kid again. Those days had been so innocent and so peaceful. As much as he liked being a sled dog, there was days where he almost missed the life he used to live. The life where he had no worries and no responsibilities. Only a dream.
But before he could start to feel nostalgic, his memories of Jake started to bring back more memories of that day. Like the door to his past had been closed for so long that now he had opened it, it couldn't be closed again. And some of the things he remembered he couldn't believe he had ever forgotten. Some things were so terrible he prayed they only happened in his imagination. But deep down, he knew they were real.
He remembered the night his family was attacked by Steele, the black and white malamute who had led Jake's team. The same malamute he had talked to about sled talk, only to be shot down. The same malamute he had seen his mother walk off with. The same malamute who had just threatened him a few minutes ago. The same malamute who had warned him to get out of town before he did the same thing to him that he did to his father, who he had so mercilessly beaten.
Eventually, the other dogs began to notice when Kodi went silent for more than a minute, staring off into empty space. "Kodi, are you okay?", Kirby asked, waving his paw in his friend's face.
"He's here. Oh my god, he's here", Kodi whispered, the husky's voice trembling.
"Who's here?", Kirby asked lazily.
"Yeah, stop talking in riddles and just tell us", Ralph grumbled.
"Steele's here", Kodi replied, shuddering.
((()-()))
Steele sat on the porch of White Mountain's general store, staring at the cloudy sky. The storm clouds were just starting to roll in, a sign the blizzard was not far away now. Alaska already had short days, but the stormy weather meant today would be even shorter. Not that Steele really cared about how daylight he was gonna have when he found Kodi and ripped his head off.
For the past half hour, he had been thinking about his encounter with Kodi. He had thought long and hard about Balto's son, and how he represented the life he used to have, the life he could have had. Kodi was the spawn of his worst enemy. He was everything the malamute hated, all in psychical form. Which meant he could touch Kodi. He could hurt him. He even could kill him. For the first time in years, he could make his half-wolf father hurt. And the idea was deliciously appealing.
It was the sort of thing he would have done before, before this goddamn life with Roger and his team had made him soft. After all, Balto had taken everything from him. He took his whole life. And the only way to really make the wolf-dog hurt like he did was to take away something more important to Balto than his own life.
Steele stood up on all fours, and sauntered down the street. He had finally made up his mind on what he was gonna do. "Give me, give me everything, give me everything. Oh yeah. Life is so hard. Is this a nightmare? I blame it on you. You took my glory. I want my revenge on you. I want you gone, dead, I don't care. That should be me lovin' her. Oh yeah", Steele thought to himself.
"I could do anything like you never seen me do before. I'll do it bigger than I ever done before. Life can get so hard at times. Oh yeah. Why stop now, when I can have everything, do anything, and have everyone?!", the malamute continued.
Finally, he saw what he was looking for. A man and a dog walking into a building, completely unaware that they were being watched. "There's my next target", Steele thought grinning. He was so close, everything that he wanted. Everything that he dreamed about for so long was finally in reach. And all it would take was a few simple moves, and the wolf-dog would be in the palm of his hands, like playing chess.
"I'll have it all! I'll make it hurt so bad that your heart will drop!", Steele continued, as ran across the street and followed the man inside. "I'll get you back Balto. I'll make sure of that", the sled dog promised, before laughing to himself.
((()-()))
"This is some place you got here Connor", Mr. Simpson whistled, as he and Dixie toured the White Mountain motel. Though the building looked small and kind of shabby outside, the two-story inn was huge on the inside. The external structure was built like a log cabin, while the main foundation was held up by giant wooden columns, spread out throughout the lobby.
The hotel manager, Connor, guided them to their room, showing off every room in the building while doing so. "Yeah. This place was built by the town's first settlers, who came here looking for gold. It's been a part of White Mountain for almost a century now, and to us it's more than just a hotel, it's a monument to the Alaskan spirit", Connor replied.
"Still, it's looking kinda raggedy, isn't it?", Mr. Simpson asked, as he noted the cobwebs on the ceilings.
"Yes, some of the guests have complained that the inn creaks and moans during snowstorms. The wooden foundation isn't as strong as it used to be, and sometimes the roof leaks. I fear this old inn has seen it's best days", Connor replied.
"But it will be able to survive the storm tonight, won't it?", Mr. Simpson asked, concerned. Walking next to him, Dusty shared her musher's worried expression. As a mother-to-be, her main priority was to protect her unborn child. And so far, she wasn't so sure the hotel could protect anything from a storm, let alone her baby.
"I'm almost certain the inn will be able to weather out tonight's storm", Connor replied.
"Almost?", Mr. Simpson asked, his eyes widening.
"Well, nothing's ever 100% percent, is it? Besides, it's better than sleeping in a tent all night, waiting to be blown off the mountainside", Connor chuckled.
"True", Mr. Simpson said, complacent for now.
Finally, Connor stopped walking, and turned towards the one of the doors. "Alrighty, room no. 8. Right next to Mr. Greensborough's room", Connor said, as he turned the key in the lock.
"Mr. Greensborough's room? You mean…Roger?", Mr. Simpson asked, grinning as comprehension dawned on him.
((()-()))
After his ability to speak came back to him, Kodi filled in Blake and his team about his short encounter with Steele, leaving the boy's own friends baffled by what was happening. "So who's this Steele guy?", Kirby asked, curious.
"Bad news. I haven't seen him since I was a kid, but he tried to kill my dad", Kodi explained, his paws still trembling a little.
Alarmed, Kirby rushed to Kodi's side, and shook his younger friend to try and calm him down. "Why would he want to kill Balto?", the husky asked.
"I think he liked my mom. He said something about killing dad and making her his", Kodi explained, trying his best to remember everything Steele had said while he was standing over his father's broken body.
"He didn't just know her. He loved her", Blake interjected, speaking up for the first time.
As he remembered the other team's presence, Kodi turned around to demand answers from them. "You, what do you know about this? Why is Steele doing this? Why does he hate my dad so much? And why is coming back now?", Kodi asked.
"Your mom and dad, they never told you everything about the serum run, did they?", Blake asked sympathetically.
"They told me enough. Dad told me he went into the blizzard and brought the team home", Kodi replied.
"I guess they didn't want to scare you. I don't know much myself, most I've just heard about in stories. But Steele used to be the leader of your dad's old team, before the serum run. He used to hate your dad because he was half-wolf", Blake explained.
"Yeah, we're getting that", Kirby frowned, though Blake ignored him.
Meanwhile, Griff decided to cut in. "Yeah, but that wasn't the only reason he hated your dad's guts. He loved this girl back in Nome, Jenna. But she loved Balto, and chose him instead", Griff added.
"A smart choice I might add", Ron said suddenly, earning himself several shushes from his teammates.
"So when the serum run came, and Balto rode out to help Steele, he turned him down, because he didn't want to be saved by his rival. Long story short, Steele ends up getting left behind by his own team, while Balto and the others ride back to Nome. Steele gets sold to a new owner, our owner, and is forced to leave Nome. Which is how we got stuck with him for almost three years now", Griff continued.
"So when Steele finally does get back to Nome, he finds out the girl he pined over for so long got married to the wolf-dog anyway, and already had his kids. And he loses it", Blake explained.
"We're were able to keep him from doing something stupid then. But it looks like he's decided to finish what he started. He's going to try to get to Balto by killing his son. God, how could he be so stupid and selfish?! I'm so sick and tired of him getting our team in messes like these!", Griff growled.
"Big deal, it's just one guy. A middle-aged guy at that. If Ralph and I help Kodi, the three of us should be able to kick this old dude's butt all across town", Kirby smirked, before grinning at his samoyed buddy.
However, Blake and Griff ignored them, and turned towards Kodi. "Don't underestimate him. I've known him for years now, and Steele is fiendish. He's cunning, and sneaky and manipulative. He knows how most dogs think, and he uses their weaknesses against him. So he'll probably set you up, and wait in hiding until he can get you alone. And then he'll strike you down when there's no one around to help you", Blake warned, the husky's usually sunny and cheery tone now dark and grave.
"Okay", Kodi replied, desperately trying to grasp everything he had just learned.
"But the worst part is that Steele has no sense of shame. He has no conscience, and there is no low he won't stoop to. He'll go after your friends and family. He'll attack your loved ones to get your angry and cloud your judgment. Steele always likes to rile up his opponents before a fight, because he knows people make foolish mistakes when they're angry", Blake continued.
"So basically kid, if you've got a girlfriend or something, you'd better keep an eye on her. And don't do anything stupid if Steele threatens to go after her", Griff said, deciding it was best to put his boyfriend's warning in layman's terms.
"Girlfriend?", Kodi asked, confused. His mind hurt. It hurt so much. He was still trying to come to terms with the fact there was a mad dog after him, so he was only half-paying attention to what Griff was telling him. And then, that one word took center place in the sled dog's brain, blocking out all other, non-important thoughts.
He couldn't believe he had been so selfish. How could he worry about his own safety when his wife, his pregnant wife, was out there alone with a psychopath on the loose?
As Kodi's heart pounded in his chest, he tried his best to take his mind off the pain, so he could remember where he had last saw his beloved. Finally, he remembered Dusty walking off with Mr. Simpson, telling him that she'd be back once they got checked into the hotel. And that was over thirty minutes ago. She should have been back by now. "Dusty…I've gotta find Dusty!", Kodi shouted, taking everyone by surprise.
He was about to run down the street when Griff reached out and grabbed the boy by his shoulder. "Hey kid, I thought we just told you not to make any stupid mistakes. And going off by yourself is pretty dumb", Griff reminded him, frowning.
"You don't understand, my wife's out there. I have to find her before Steele does", Kodi insisted, panting.
"That's the same thing Balto said before he was pounded into the snow", Griff warned, his brows furrowing even deeper.
Kodi growled, furious about how easily Griff talked about his father's beating, while his friends walked up to him and tried to shake some sense back into the husky. They had never seen Kodi this angry about anything before. Whatever had gone down between him and Steele before must have been really bad.
"Hey Kodster, calm down. The big guy's right, if this Steele guy is as bad as they say he is, the last thing you want is to take him alone. If you're going to go look for Dusty, we'll go with you", Kirby decided.
"And we'll look for Steele", Blake decided, turning back towards his team to look for their approval. As expected, they all nodded their heads in agreement, and Griff finally let go of Kodi's shoulder.
Kodi winced, and rubbed his sore shoulder, before glancing back at Griff. He had never met a dog so strong before. Not only did he hold him back, but he may have actually bruised his shoulder.
"Sorry about that kid, I guess I don't know my own strength anymore. It's been a while since I've had to do that", Griff apologized.
"It's alright", Kodi insisted, he could already feel the pins and needles feeling subsiding, which meant it definitely wasn't bruised. Thank god for that. The last he needed was to be injured before a fight.
Blake chuckled, and shook his head at his boyfriend. "If you think that's strong, you should try hugging him. The guy's like an ox", Blake joked, his light mood returning for the moment.
Ralph's eyes widened, and he glanced at Blake, and then at Griff. "Whoa, so you and him are-?", the gray dog asked, finally catching on, before he was cut off by Kodi.
"Come on already!", Kodi shouted, shooting past all the other dogs and racing down the street. He only glanced back once to make sure Ralph and Kirby were actually behind him, before he raced into the hotel. Now that all the talking was over, and they had made up their minds what they were gonna do, he was ready to find Dusty and protect her Steele. He didn't want this ordeal to last any longer than it had to. And he didn't want any innocent people getting hurt because of his family's feud.
((()-()))
"So remind me again why you're leaving town when there's a blizzard on the move?", Jenna asked, looking at her half-wolf like he was out of his mind.
After rushing back into Nome, Balto had called all his friends, Jenna, Nikki, Kaltag, and Star to the Old Mill so he could talk to them in private about something. Apparently, the wolf dog was about to leave town, and journey into the woods, braving yet another blizzard so he could follow Kodi's trail.
"I had a dream…about Kodi", Balto replied. That was all the explanation Jenna needed. As soon as Balto gave her his response, any questions Jenna might have planned on asking him disappeared from her mind.
"So what? Lots of people have dreams. I had a nightmare last night where I was a hairless cat. But you don't see me going off into a snowstorm and getting myself killed just because I'm afraid all my hair will fall out", Kaltag retorted, hoping he could talk some sense into his friend.
"This was different Kal. This wasn't an ordinary dream. Now, I don't remember much of it, but the part I do remember had something to do with the blizzard. Dusty was injured, and Kodi was trying to save her, but he couldn't do it alone. And his team were no better off than Dusty was. A father's job is to prepare his son for the real world, and be there whenever he needs him. And tonight, Kodi's going to need me again", Balto insisted.
"And what kind of father would you be if you didn't help him?", Jenna guessed.
Balto grinned, Jenna knew him so well. Then again, why wouldn't she? "A deadbeat, that's what kind", Balto replied, remembering Kodi's joke from the day before.
Jenna didn't try to argue with Balto. She knew there would be no point in that. And besides, if Balto's nightmare did mean something and Kodi really was in danger, then she wouldn't even dream of trying to stop him. She had the complete opposite thing in mind. "Well then, I'm coming with you", she decided.
"Jenna", Balto frowned, but before he could argue with his wife, the husky raised her paw to his face to quiet him.
"Balto, the last time you told me stay behind, I missed my chance to say good-bye to Aleu. Now, I'm okay with that because I know that was a journey you and Aleu were meant to go on alone. We always had to let her go, and there's still a chance I'll see her again someday. But if there's really a chance I'll lose my son and my daughter-in-law too tonight, then I'm not gonna miss being there this time", Jenna said. The firm tone in her voice told Balto the husky's mind was already made up.
A year or two ago, he would have been worried out of his mind and would have been thinking constantly about whether or not Jenna could handle a snowstorm. But he and his wife had been through enough together for him to know she could handle herself just as well as he could. There was even a few times when she had stepped in to save his tail. So there was no doubt in his head that she could keep up with him. "Alright", Balto said simply.
"Then we're coming too", Kaltag said suddenly, standing up.
"We are?", Star asked nervously.
"Yeah we are. I'm Kodi's godfather. The kid is my responsibility too, and no storm is gonna blow him and his wife away while I'm around", Kaltag said, determined.
Balto grinned. Even after all the time that had passed since the serum run, decades in dog years, his friends still hadn't changed. They could always be counted on in a bind. "Alright then, we'll leave in 30 minutes. So all of you say good-bye to your owners. Jen, I know you'll want to see Rosie one last time before we go", Balto decided.
Jenna nodded, and Balto's grin grew wider. It seemed he still knew her pretty well too.
"What'll youse be doing?", Nikki asked curiously.
"Saying good-bye to Boris. He'll want to know I'm leaving him alone with Muk and Luk for the rest of the night", Balto chuckled. He could already picture the sour expression on his goose father's face.
((()-()))
Kodi dashed inside the White Mountain inn, ignoring all the swears and curses coming from the people he had bumped into. He followed Dusty's scent, running past room after room. He knew Dusty and Mr. Simpson had to be close by, cause their scent was still fresh. Finally, the trail stopped at room no. 8, and he scratched on the door, hoping there was a human on the other side. Luck was on his side that day.
The door creaked open, and Mr. Simpson glanced down, to see three of his sled dogs standing in the hallway. "What are you guys doing he-?", he was about to ask, before Kodi brushed past his leg and ran inside the room.
"Dusty!", he barked, frantically throwing his head and back forth to look at the entire room.
"Kodi? What's the matter with you?", Dusty asked.
Kodi whirled around, to see Dusty staring at him from the other side of the room. Kodi's heart leapt, and the husky ran up to hug his wife, taking her by surprise. "Dust!", he exclaimed, desperately clinging onto his loved one, like if he let go for just one second, something horrible would undoubtedly happen to her.
"Um, I'm happy to see you too", she said awkwardly, as Kodi continued to squeeze her waist. Eventually, when it started to become uncomfortable, she decided to say something. "Careful, you might choke the baby", she said, though the expectant mother was only half-joking.
"Oh, sorry. It's just really good to see you're okay", Kodi said, before reluctantly letting go of his wife.
"Don't tell me you were worried about me again?", Dusty frowned. Ever since he had talked to Balto, Kodi was making such progress. The last time his wife wanted was for him to relapse into his overprotective ways only a day later.
Kodi chuckled, and rubbed the back of his head. He then glanced at Kirby and Ralph, who had just joined him in room 8. Both of his buddies were just as relieved as he was about Dusty's safety.
Dusty's eyes widened as she finally acknowledged her two teammates' presence. Kodi worrying too much was one thing. But Kirby and Ralph freaking out over nothing was something that hardly ever happened. Which meant something was wrong. Really wrong. Something Kodi wasn't telling her. "Kodi, what happened?", she asked, concerned.
Kodi opened his mouth to say something, when he was interrupted by Simpson, who seemed to speaking to another human in the door. "Roger, I see you're back again. It's so good to see you!", Mr. Simpson said, the eskimo grinning ear-to-ear.
"You too John", the man on the other side replied.
Kodi cocked his head to the side, confused. "Who's he?", he asked Dusty, momentarily forgetting about the explanation he owed her.
Dusty smiled. "Roger's an old friend of John's. They knew each other back in Nome, before Roger moved away. They ran into each other by accident", Dusty explained, chuckling.
Kodi looked at the two mushers again, watching as the men shook hands, and patted each other on the back. "I heard about that big race last year in the papers, the one against the bush plane? You're a lucky man John. You got to race with a legend and his son. Two generations of greatness at the head of your team", Roger said, albeit a bit regretful.
"Hey now, you didn't do too bad yourself Roger. After all, you've got a legend of your own leading your team. Steele is a force to be reckoned with too", John said reassuringly. And even though he was only trying to make a friend feel better about himself, the man had no idea the full seriousness of what he was saying.
But Kodi did. "What?", the boy whispered. He never thought it was possible for him to go from being relieved to being terrified again in such a short amount of time. But he did.
"Yeah Steele, he's an old pro. He was here with Roger when we checked in. Oh, here he comes now! Maybe I can introduce you to him", Dusty said, oblivious to the fact her husband was frozen where he stood.
"Actually Dusty, we've already met. I'm a friend of the family", a cold voice said, which Kodi knew could only belong to one dog.
Kodi forced his eyes to move over towards the doorway, and his heart went from being inactive to pounding on overdrive, when the last person he ever wanted to see again walked right into the room.
Steele laughed, and ignored the cold stares of Kirby and Ralph, along with Dusty's blissfully ignorant grin. The only thing the malamute focused on was Kodi, who had stepped protectively in front of Dusty, much to her confusion. It was just like how his father would always try to protect Jenna from him. Like he would actually hurt a female, especially not Jenna. Just like Steele had thought before, Kodi was just like his father. Which meant he was too much of a hero to worry about his safety. And unfortunately for Kodi, that would only make Steele's plan even easier.
Kodi gulped. The rust and cream colored husky knew he had no reason to be afraid. From what Blake and Griff told him, Steele would never pick a fight in a room full of humans. And even if one did start, Kirby and Ralph were there to help him out. But even with all those odds on his side, Kodi was anything but calm. There was something about the way Steele looked at him. Something he saw in those ice cold eyes of his that weren't quite right. Something wild and crazy. And every time those steely blue eyes settled on him, a chill went right down Kodi's spine.
Kodi guessed this was how every dog felt whenever they challenged Steele. And this was how his father had felt everyday of his life for five years. Even though Kodi knew he was being ridiculous, and was completely blowing things out of proportion in his head, he couldn't help but wonder if this was also how it felt to look straight into the eyes of the devil. To have to face the sins of the father.
Author's Notes
Fear does crazy things to people. And it's funny how the longer you think about something, the more your imagination makes things seem a thousand times worse than they actually are. But then again, wouldn't you be scared out of your mind if you saw your father be almost beaten to death by a psychopath, and then you had to face said psychopath yourself? Steele's song and inner monologue (entitled "Steele's Revenge Theme") was written by Kodiwolf321. Tom's a songwriter, and like I said before, he loves a good beat.