Author's Notes:
Sorry for the two week wait guys. It wasn't because I wanted to torture you some more with that last cliffhanger (like I said in one of my last fics, I'm not evil). Before I could start posting again, I had to rewrite a few chapters, and add some new music to the finale (courtesy of Kodiwolf321). I've never had that much of an interest in singing, so I know nothing about it. But I know that songwriting is crazy hard, especially when you don't have a lot of time to improv something, so I have no idea how you come up with this stuff Tom. But I guess when you're a rapper, it just comes with the territory.
When I got back, I noticed there were plenty of new reviews (from both new readers and constant reviewers), and they all raise some pretty interesting points. So before the story begins again, I'm gonna take the time to answer some of them (while at the same time, mediating on some of the themes and motifs you guys pointed out).
* Unshippedcorpse - No reason to feel bad, I understand. There are plenty of stories that I've wanted to review, but I didn't have time to. In fact, a lot of times I actually have to wait weeks before I can review something one of my friends wrote. And believe me when I said chapter 2 was a big one, and a crazy one (by the way, I'm curious, what's a FUBAR?). The introspectiveness of chapter 2 is actually my usual style of writing (I'm a huge Steven Moffat fan, the guy is a master when it comes to writing intricately-planned stories), but it's been a while since I wrote a chapter of that length.
My stories vary in their general plot ideas, but they also vary in scope and size. Some smaller ones like "Salvation, Part 2" take place in just one day, and have a calmer, more subdued plot. While other ones like "Salvation, Part 1" and "Erdan 2" cover numerous different story arcs, switch moods constantly, and take place over the course of several days, sometimes even years (so I wouldn't recommend trying to read one in just one day. Make sure you give those eyes plenty of rest, you'll need them for reading other Balto stories, stories far better than mine). But it's been a long time since my last Balto fic (an entire year), so I'm not sure I would have been able to pull this off with my collaborator's help to keep me focused.
* That Nerd Next Door - Haha, Kodi is a persistent guy, isn't he? And a risk taker. Not a lot of guys would actually have the guts to face Steele, let alone have a conversation with him. But don't worry, all of Kodi's hard work will pay off soon. And as for the darkness in chapter 8, I love it too. The darker parts of a film are crucial to the plot, and work the best when they're completely unexpected. Like "Back to the Future, Part II" for example, one of my favorite time travel films. What started off as a joyful and spectacular trip into the future (underscored by some amazing fanfares by Alan Silvestri I might add, that mislead you into thinking the whole movie is gonna be some grand, futuristic adventure), suddenly turned into a nightmare, where Biff owns the town, Marty's dad is dead, and Lorraine is married to a monster. Thank god Marty and Doc got that sorted out. And now Kodi's got his own troubles to work out before this fic is over.
* Animation Universe 2005 - Actually, Kodi and Steele don't hate as each other as much as it seems. When Steele first met Kodi he saw him as a freak show, living proof that Balto stole Jenna from him and that life wasn't fair. But that's a little different now. A small part of Steele actually respects Kodi's bravery. He's impressed by how easily Kodi stands up to him, in the same way his mother wasn't afraid of him. And another thing Kodi got from his mom was his stubbornness, and the fact that he's always trying to look for the best in people, even when he's not really sure it's there (although that's actually a trait Balto has as well, Steele just never cared enough to pay attention).
* Brasta Septim - Thanks. Whenever I read fanfics about Steele, I'm never quite invested in his character, because Steele is mostly written as some monster who's only interested in raping Jenna, killing Balto, and generally causing trouble for the dogs of Nome. Basically, he's the devil, a canine devil. Because that's all most people are interested in making him. Which is kind of a shame really, because there's so much potential in Steele's character.
I decided to give Steele a conscience so I could make his character a bit more three-dimensional. Instead of being some hateful creature who never thinks about his actions, Steele knows perfectly well what he's doing is wrong, but he simply doesn't care. Plus, giving him a conscience also gave me chance to paint him as the 'broken man' character that you always see in old westerns, the bad guy who actually turns out to be a good guy in the end.
I've written for straight characters before (dozens of times actually), and I've written for a bisexual rapist (Wilson was so sick and twisted, and I loved it), but this is the first time I've featured both gay and straight couples in the same story. I love it when slash fics focus on a certain pairing, but to be truthful, I think that having both gay and straight pairings in the same fic makes it a bit more realistic. After all, that's how our world works. We don't live in a reality where everyone's straight and homosexuality is just a myth. Nor do we live in a world where men and women are only interested in each other, and every straight guy is a either a homophobe or a gay basher.
I find that having a mixture of different characters makes a story much more believable, since everyone brings a little something special to the party. Plus, it gives you a chance to write that classic awkward scene where a guy realizes his best buddy is gay, and everyone is okay with it except for him (who's still shocked to even talk).
Some of the straight characters I've written for include Zhong and Shu (from "Erdan 2") and Balto and Jenna (from "Heritage of the Wolf"), but I've never written for Kodi and Dusty before now. It was kinda strange at first, writing for a pregnant character, but I did enjoy that scene where Dusty and Jenna talk about how annoying their husbands are. The unlikeliness of two tomboys like Jenna and Dusty having a 'woman's conversation' made it all the more interesting to me.
Writing for Blake and Griff was a lot of fun too, not just because they were gay, but also because they were polar opposites, and whenever they have a scene together they feed off each other's exchanges effortlessly. Their dialogue just flows so naturally for me. Basically, it's like imagining a young, naïve boy scout hooking up with a middle-aged biker, who just came out to his buddies. I'm not talking about the outlaw biker type, like those Hell's Angels guys. No, no, Griff's a brawler, for sure, but he's not a thug. He's more like the big, burly bear type (complete with a cowboy hat, bushy mustache, and leather chaps) that you desperately try to avoid making eye contact with in a bar. But at the same time, you wanna shake his hand just to see if he's really as scary as he appears. And lo and behold, instead of kicking your ass, the guy actually gives you a hug once you get to know him. That's the kind of guy I've always pictured Griff as. The tough guy with a soft side. Just like Kodi and Dusty, their relationship felt kind of weird to me at first, but overtime it started to feel right.
And yes, I do enjoy building suspense throughout a story. A lot of my friends hate cliffhangers in TV shows, but I love them. A good TV cliffhanger presents you with a question, and lets you speculate about it for a week (sometimes a few months), before doing something completely unexpected that blows you away (most of the time anyway. "Doctor Who" is almost always brilliant with theirs, but "Smallville" always did struggle to properly resolve their cliffhangers).
Here, the revelation about this story is that Steele isn't Kodi's enemy that he needs to overcome, mother nature is. It's actually been hidden in plain sight this whole time, but I've managed to keep Kodi and his friends from noticing it sooner by distracting them with Steele. Because, when you're being chased by a maniac on the night of a snowstorm, which you gonna worry about more? The blizzard or the bad guy? The bad guy of course. We almost always take nature for granted. We sometimes let our guard down foolishly before a storm, Hurricane Katrina back in 2005 was an excellent example of that. But perhaps it's just a part of human nature. We're afraid of things we can see and touch, like another person, but we laugh at invisible forces that are beyond our comprehension, like nature for instance (Dusty laughed when Kaltag told her about the blizzard, a foreshadowing of things to come).
* MattKearneyfan - I figured it was best to save this one for last, since this last message is so long.
Seriously dude? Seriously? You didn't even read this fic, and you don't even know who I am, but I'm the one who's pathetic? I'm not the guy attacking some random stranger. Still, I understand that everyone has their opinions, and that not everyone might be comfortable with the idea of gay fanfics as well as straight ones. And I was willing to respect that. Until you PM'd me, just so you could insult me again. That's when you crossed the line. But that's all over now. Words were said, and I'm pretty sure I let you know where my opinion stands about this project. And for the sake of another's author's dignity, I won't repeat what I told you. Also, I don't know who reported his comment as abuse, but whoever it was I thank you. Sometimes it sucks not having the time to log on until the weekends.
Now I know why there aren't many slash fics in the Balto category. Too many gay users here are afraid of guys like that (again, I'm respecting his dignity by using the nicest word I can think of to describe him). I won't be intimidated, and I certainly won't stop writing this project just because of what you think of it. Kodiwolf and I have worked far too hard on this to give up now. So I'm putting this here as message for other gay users, in the hopes that it will help them somehow. Don't ever let guys like that put you down. And don't ever let them convince you that you're the ones who are sad or pathetic.
Sometimes when you're alone, fiddling with some pens and pencils to pass the lazy days by, an idea pops into your head. It's wild and crazy and no one's ever thought of anything like it before. You write it down on some paper so you don't forget it, and when the next day comes you expand on it. You write it, then you rewrite it, and finally you share it with the world. And that's what being a writer is all about. Some could say it's about making a profit, and becoming world famous. But I think it's about having fun, and telling stories. Conjuring up those madcap little ideas of yours, something special and unique that only you could think of, and then sharing it with others.
And to deny someone that, just because you don't agree with them on something, is just wrong. Wrong and mean-spirited. Like someone being told to shut up by his own peers, just because he had the bravery to speak out in a crowd. Like my good friend Ani said, freedom of speech is a right. It is a part of everyday life. And if someone doesn't like what you have to say, to hell with what they think. After all, do you think all the great scientists and inventors in history cared when everyone said they were crazy? Most of the naysayers didn't even take the time to learn about their experiments before they branded as the deluded dreams of a madmen. And it's the same with stories on this site.
Most of the purists, like MattKearneyfan, don't even read the stories they're flaming before they start insulting people. But as long as they're harmless and good-natured, your ideas belong with the others. The guys who joined this site, the ones who have no intention of doing anything but humiliating others, they're the ones who should be ashamed of themselves. And I hope that that MattKearneyfan guy never does anything like this to another user again (but I know he will).
This message was put here for every guy and girl who's ever thought about writing a fanfic on this site, but was too worried about what others would think of it. I hope this fic inspires others to stop being afraid, and to start writing more Balto fics.
Sure Dusty and Kodi can be a thing if you want them to be (they are a pretty cute couple). After all, what's the whole point of writing fanfiction if you're just gonna stick to everything that happens in the movie? That takes all the fun out of it. So forget about what the purists think, and concentrate on what you wanna do with your story.
If it's silly, then it's silly. Not every story has to be a tear-jerking drama. And if it's a song-fic, then it's a song-fic. A little music always livens the mood (just make sure you give credit to the artists and their record labels, unless they're your own compositions). I'm looking at you Tom. The next time you decide to write a song-fic, keep those mad beats of yours coming. And for all you Balto fans out there playing on my team, Balto and Steele can be a thing if you want them to be too. I think we've all toyed with that idea in our heads at least once.
If people don't like your stories, then forget about what they think. At least you can have the satisfaction of knowing you were brave enough to put your ideas forward. And like I said before, that's what being a writer is all about.
There's also one last thing I want to say. Animation Universe, Kodiwolf321, neither one of you guys are gay, but you've both supported me throughout my past four stories (some of this stuff has gotta uncomfortable for straight guys to read, but you stuck by me nonetheless). So I feel cannot say this enough. You two are two of the most brilliant, open-minded people I have ever met, and I'm proud to have you guys as my best friends on this site.
Anyway, I've babbled on enough for one chapter. I know you're all waiting to get back to the story, so I'll continue right where we left off two weeks ago, with Kodi and Dusty being trapped under a hotel.
Chapter 9: Desperate Times Call For Desperate Measures (An Unlikely Alliance).
Balto tore through the snow. He paid no mind to the wind that was burning his eyes, or the aching, throbbing muscles that felt like they were gonna rip apart inside his legs. He didn't care that he had been walking for nine hours, and that his middle-aged body was close to giving out from exhaustion. The only thing on the wolf-dog's mind was finding his son and his daughter-in-law - saving them. Because he had just heard the noise. The horrible, ear-shattering noise that he heard before in his dreams. It had been clear as day to his supersensitive ears, even over the noise of the blizzard. That sound of White Mountain's inn collapsing was just as terrifying as he remembered it being.
Of course, hearing it in the real world had been much, much worse than hearing it in his dreams. Because now he knew he was too late. All his efforts to warn Kodi had been naught, and now the only thing he could do was try and get to his son before he lost too much blood, or he ran out of air, or succumbed to some other fatal injury (god forbid if he already had). As the hybrid and his friends burst into White Mountain, heading towards the direction of the ruined inn, he didn't even hear himself scream his son's name.
((()-()))
Kodi didn't know how he was still alive. He should have been dead. After all, a building fell on him. Or at least, part of a building. But here he was lying on his back, and bleeding onto the wood that surrounded him. It was pitch-black under the rubble, and his night vision (one of a wolf-dog's many heightened senses), was the only thing allowing him to make out basic shapes. He could see some other dogs were buried with him. Some were just lying on the floor, either unconscious or groaning like him. Others were moving around and forcing themselves to stand on all four feet.
For a moment, Kodi struggled to figure out how they could move around when they were supposed to buried underground. He wasn't good at thinking under pressure. And then, he realized that he didn't feel anything crushing him. Sure there was wood all around him, and under him, but none on top of him, or the other dogs. If the ceiling had really on them, they should have all died instantly.
Instead, a few large boards of wood had fallen down on Kodi's head (knocking him out for a few minutes), but otherwise at least half of the lobby was still standing, along with half of the second floor above it. But the building itself was still unstable. And just because that part of the hotel hadn't fallen did with the others didn't mean it couldn't collapse at any minute. And Kodi had to move now before that happened.
The boy groan, and stretched his muscles. Before he could go anywhere, he had to get used to using his limbs again.
"Kid, are you okay?", he heard someone say from the darkness.
"Griff?", Kodi asked, confused. Now that his head was working again, the wolf-dog would recognize that gruff voice anywhere. "Where are you?", he asked.
"Right here", the husky replied, his darkened shadow joining Kodi's side.
"Where are the others?", Kodi groaned, as his head continued to throb.
"Your pals, Ralph and Kirby are here. Steele and Jake are both fine too. A little banged up, but we've been through much worse. But the humans…", Griff reported, trailing off towards the end.
"What about the humans?", Kodi asked, his eyes widening. And then, he realized something. Something horrible. Griff had only said Steele and Jake's names, he had left out Ron and Hal. Not to mention his boyfriend Blake "I can see him forgetting about the others, but there's no way he'd forget to mention Blake. Something's wrong", Kodi realized.
What's more, he hadn't said Dusty's name either. And the wolf-dog didn't smell her scent anywhere around him. Just the smell of wood and blood. The blood of both humans and canines. And that little realization was enough to send Kodiak into a frenzy. "Griff, where are the others? Where's Dusty?!", Kodi demanded, panicking.
"Kodi, listen to me. We're okay because this part of the hotel didn't collapse. It's still holding…for now. But the others weren't so lucky", Griff said solemnly, before glancing to his right.
Kodi followed his gaze, and stared into darkness, squinting his eyes so he could focus in on whatever the sled dog was looking at. To his horror, he didn't see anything. Nothing but a wall of broken, splintered wood. The entire second half of the lobby, the spot where the humans and his wife had just been standing a few minutes ago, was gone. Destroyed beyond the point of recognition. And there was no way to get to what was left.
"Dusty", he whispered.
"Kid-", Griff began, before the hybrid shoved past him, and slammed into the wall, screaming his wife's name.
"DUSTY! CAN YOU HEAR ME?! DUSTY! SAY SOMETHING!", the boy bellowed, as he shoved against the wood will all his might. Of course, Kodi knew perfectly well that one dog couldn't be able to tear down that much rubble. But he also knew he didn't care. His beloved, his whole reason for existing, was being buried alive, and he didn't know how much longer she could last under there. Not to mention the unborn child in her stomach, who was surely the most susceptible to injury. He would move entire mountains if he had to to save them.
"Kodi, stop it before you hurt yourself!", Griff ordered, reaching out to grab Kodi's shoulder before the wolf-dog pushed him away.
"I don't care! Don't you get it?! She's dying under there! I'm losing her right now, and I'm not just gonna let that happen!", Kodi reasoned. However, the boy's anger was nothing compared to outburst he triggered from Griff.
The older husky suddenly lost it, grabbing the younger boy, and shoving him into the wall. Even though it was still dark under the rubble, Kodi could see angry, twisted look in Griff's eyes as clear as day. Apparently all the husky's attempts to stay calm and collected had come to an end the minute Kodi had snapped at him.
"You think I don't know how much it hurts kid?! Blake's trapped down there too! My boyfriend is being crushed by this goddamn hotel and there's not a thing I can do about it! But instead of getting myself killed like a fucking idiot, I'm actually trying to save my energy so I can help the others get to him! And if you really love your wife, then you'll come over here and give the others a hand instead of screaming at a wall all night!", Griff snarled, before turning his head towards the other side of the room.
Sure enough, all the other dogs that Kodi had noticed before were grouping together, and grabbing pieces of wood in their mouths (being careful to avoid jagged, broken edges).
Suddenly, a third shadow joined them, one that unmistakable belonged to Steele. "I hate to admit it, but the blowhard's right Kodi. The only way we're getting the others out of here is if we stay calm", Steele said. The malamute glanced at teammate, raising his eyebrows amusedly as he watched how the bigger dog manhandled the smaller husky. "You can let go of him now. Before you rip his shoulders off", Steele added.
Griff hesitated, and glared at Kodi again, checking the boy's expression to make sure he wouldn't do anything stupid again, before he released him. After he had a second to cool down, the husky sighed. "Sorry about that kid. I guess I lost my cool there", Griff said, apologizing to the boy for the second time that night. Apparently, he hadn't made as much progress in anger management as he thought he had.
"Don't worry, it happens to the best of us", Kodi insisted, as he rubbed his sore shoulder again. He glanced at Steele, raising his eyebrows. "Steele, you're actually helping? I thought you'd still be sulking", Kodi asked.
Steele grinned, and shook his head. "Don't get me wrong. I still can't stand any of you, and don't think I've forgotten about you", Steele said, before scowling at Griff.
However, the husky still looked indifferent to Steele's threats. "I wouldn't want you to", Griff replied, unworried.
Steele's scowled deepened, before he looked back at Kodi, deciding it was best to forget about Griff for the moment. "But that can wait until later, when we're not gonna die. You…you were right kid. Sometimes there are more important things than rivalry", the malamute admitted.
Both Kodi and Griff were speechless, neither one knowing whether or not to believe what their ears were saying. Steele, one of the most stubborn dogs in all of Alaska, was actually admitting he had been wrong about something. "Do you really mean that?", Kodi asked hesitantly.
"A sled dog's purpose is not just to win races. My father always used to tell me we were bred to help people. I lost focus of that during the serum run. Jenna tried to tell me that, but I didn't listen to her, and I almost got a lot of innocent people killed because of it. But I won't make the same mistake here. I may not be a champion anymore, but I'm still a sled dog, so I'm gonna get you and your wife out of here", Steele promised, before all the wind was knocked out of him.
For a moment, the malamute panicked, and thought the rest of the hotel was collapsing. Before he realized it was only his lungs that were being crushed, and not his whole body. And the reason his chest was being starved of air was because Kodi was squeezing all the life out of him.
"Thank you! Thank you!", the husky shouted gratefully, hugging Steele as tightly as he could while ignoring the surprised stares of all his friends.
Steele's eyes widened, and the malamute froze, not knowing what to say or do next. No one besides his musher had touched him in years, let alone hugged him. And to be honest, being hugged by the son of his worst enemy was more uncomfortable than anything Steele had ever done before. All the malamute could do was steel himself, and clear his throat awkwardly, as the embrace went on much longer than he wished it would.
Like he mentioned before, he hadn't been touched by anyone in years, and he was starting to like the feeling of Kodi squeezing him. And it didn't help that Griff kept staring at him with that stupid grin on his face. Eventually, he had to say something, before he started to go soft. So he did what he did best, ruin the moment with detached sarcasm.
"Jesus kid, you have a wife. The one who's waiting for you to come save her? Are you gonna cheat on her with me, or are you gonna pitch in already?", Steele groaned.
"Right, right", Kodi stuttered, as he released the malamute from his grip. The husky took a moment to compose, and looked back at Steele, noting the wary expression on the malamute's face. "Okay, where do I start?", Kodi asked.
It had been a long time since Steele had taken charge of a mission like this (properly anyway). But now that they were in a life-or-death situation, his old leadership instincts were kicking in. And he knew exactly what they needed to do. "Go make yourself useful and join the others. There's not a lot of dogs here, but there's enough to form a chain. If we can move enough of this wood outside those doors, we should be able to reach the others in time", Steele explained, diverting Kodi's attention to the other side of the room. While half of the lobby was destroyed and buried under rubble, the front doors were still standing. After all, all the cold wind had to be coming from somewhere.
"But that could still take too long. I mean, there's only five of us here, we wouldn't be moving that fast", Kodi reminded him, concerned.
"Well that's the best bet we've got right now kid. Unless you can just magically make a dozen other dogs appear", Steele said sarcastically.
Kodi sighed, and nodded his head. He was about to walk off and join Ralph and Kirby, when a loud noise carried out over the wind. The sound of someone screaming.
Kodi and Steele froze right where they were, and turned to face the door. For a second, they had both heard something impossible. They thought they had heard the sound of someone screaming Kodi's name from outside the doors, in the middle of the blizzard. They were right.
"KODI! DUSTY!", the noise continued.
As if the idea of someone being outside, in the middle of a snowstorm, wasn't ridiculous enough, Kodi could have sworn he had recognized the voice. He hadn't heard it lately, but he'd no it anywhere. After all, why wouldn't he? He'd heard it millions of times before. The voice of the man screaming outside belonged to Kodi's father.
"Dad?", Kodi whispered. And in a short fraction of second, there were two voices screaming out through the wind. "DAD?!", Kodi yelled.
When he didn't get a reply this time, the boy thought for a moment he had imagined the whole thing. But the fact that Steele was completely silent next to him proved that he hadn't. If Kodi really had been talking to imaginary voices in the wind, Steele would have been the first one to tell him he was losing it. But instead the malamute seemed to be just as surprised, and in denial, as he was.
"Bingo?", he whispered to himself, before the malamute's eyes narrowed, and focused on the door. Or rather, on the dog door at the bottom of the door.
Kodi followed his gaze, and watched as a large brown canine slipped through the square opening, followed by red and white blur, and several streaks of gray. Though, the gray ones seemed to have more trouble fitting through the door than the other streaks. Pretty soon, you couldn't even see the dog door anymore, it was blocked from everyone's line of vision by at least a dozen canines, half of which Kodi recognized by instinct.
"Mom! Dad!", he said, before running up and hugging his mother as tightly as he could.
"Kodi!", Jenna sobbed, her tears wetting her son's fur, though Kodi left a few tears of his own on his mother's shoulder as well.
As much as it pained both of them, Kodi and Jenna separated, and the husky glanced at his father, noting the relieved grin on the half-wolf's face. Standing next to him was five or six wolves that Kodi didn't know, and three dogs that he did know, Nikki, Kaltag, and Star - his dad's old buddies from his sled dog days.
"How can you all be here?", the husky asked in disbelief.
"Your dad thought you might need us, so we walked all night to get here. I see he was right", Nikki asked, whistling as he glanced at the huge wall of rubble that divided the room.
"Kodi, are you alright?", Balto asked, concerned. Even though Kodi seemed okay, there was something that still didn't feel quite right. A certain atmosphere in the room that told the wolf-dog that something was wrong from the minute he walked in through the dog door. There was something big right in front of him, but he just couldn't see it yet.
Kodi's grin faded, and the husky's face became deathly serious again, almost regretful. "I'm fine. But it's Dusty, she trapped with the others. We've about to try and get her out, and Steele's helping the best he can-", Kodi explained.
"Steele?", Balto asked, the hybrid's yellow eyes widened, and then snapped upwards. He finally realized what it was that he was missing. What he had been too focused on Kodi to notice earlier. Out of all the dogs in the room, and wolves, one stood out. A familiar black and white malamute who just stood behind Kodiak, not saying a word or making any effort to move. He just stood in one place, staring at the wolf-dog and his family with an expression that didn't look like his usual sneer of hatred, but not exactly happiness. It almost looked wary, like the malamute didn't know quite what to expect for once.
"Steele?", Jenna whispered.
Kodi grimaced, and the husky glanced at Steele, before looking back at his parents. His folks and the people they brought with them all donned the same expression at the same time. They didn't look afraid, instead they looked angry, like they were readying themselves for an attack. Or perhaps to launch an attack themselves.
It took Kodi a moment, before he remembered that his family's last encounter with Steele hadn't ended on exactly the best of terms. And while him and the malamute were allies now, his parents knew no nothing of the progress Steele had made over the past 24 hours. In their eyes, he was the same evil monster he had always been. "Ooh…I guess I should have told you about that part first", the husky said nervously.
((()-()))
"Kodi", Dixie whispered. The husky groaned, and she struggled to free herself from her prison. But she knew it was no use. Even she could move her legs, she would still have nowhere to go. She was buried alive. There was wood below her, around her, and even on top of her. Even if it wasn't for the freezing cold draft coming from the blizzard outside, she'd be worried about running out of air.
She knew it would be a long time before anyone could reach her. The humans wouldn't be able to examine the hotel until after the blizzard was over, which probably would be for hours. It was up to Kodi and the rest of the team to help her. Or at least, half of her team. Since a lot of people and sled dogs were buried along with her. They would all die from hypothermia soon, unless someone took action.
But it wasn't her own life that Dusty was worried about. But rather the life of her unborn child, who was probably freezing to death inside her stomach at that very moment. Without the fireplace to keep him warm, Dusty's little baby was exposed to harsh, mercilessly wind of an snowstorm. And if hardy, experienced veterans had succumbed to cold in a matter of hours, she knew a child (protected by his mother's skin or not), would only last one. Maybe two, if he was lucky.
"Kodi, please hurry", she thought, sobbing. It had been years since she cried like this. A cool girl like herself loosing control her of her emotions was completely uncharacteristic. But if any a time ever called for tears, this was it. This one was one of those days Balto and Jenna had warned them about. When a parent's love for their and their family was put to the ultimate test. A test neither her or Kodi could afford to fail.