"GET OUT OF THE HARNESSES!" Star practically screamed. He dug his claws deeper into the ice, leaving long, thin lines as the water continued to pull the sled, and the dogs. He felt a sharp pain in his right front paw, but ignored it.
Nikki, Kaltag, and the other dogs began to wriggle out of the straps and buckles. It wasn't easy, seeing as some harnesses fit tighter on the larger canines than others.
One managed to get free, jumping clear of his place. Star and the others cried out in surprise as the sled slipped further under the ice.
"GRAB YOUR HARNESS WITH YOUR TEETH!" Star called, voice strained as he and the others struggled to keep from going down.
The dog in question quickly took hold of his straps, pulling backward. Each time someone else got free, they did the same; taking their harness in their mouths to help hold the weight.
Star didn't even try to free himself; not until the last of his team was safe. As soon as the final dog had shifted out and grabbed the straps, Star shrugged the material off of himself.
"Alright! Let go!"
All the dogs released their grip and watched with grim fascination as the sled and harnesses vanished into the dark water. A moment later, it was if it had never been there.
Exhausted and badly shaken, the team crawled carefully across the remaining ice to the far side of the frozen river. There they flopped down, panting with relief, but shivering from the cold.
The wind had picked up, blowing powdered snow into their already soaked fur.
Star sat with his head bowed. Some leader he'd turned out to be. They had no rider, the sled was gone, his team was slowly freezing to death-Star looked around at the river and the surrounding, unfamiliar woods- and to top it all off, they were hopelessly lost. Nothing was recognizable. Snow was beginning to fall, and in the west the sky was starting to turn a vibrant pink. It would have been pretty if not for their dark situation.
"W-what are w-we gonna do n-now?" Nikki shivered.
All the dogs looked to Star. The small husky felt sick with fear and guilt. He had let them down. He had let himself down. But maybe the worst thing of all was that he had let Balto down. Balto, who had risked his standing with the council, just so Star could have one moment to show what he could do. One moment to show himself what he could do. And he had failed.
"...Take care of the teammates behind you..."
Star looked up and met the eyes of the dogs under his care. They were watching him, waiting for his next move. They didn't seem upset, in fact, they appeared concerned.
I have to get them out of this mess, he thought, I've gotta keep them safe.
"We need to find somewhere safe. A shelter of some kind, where we can get warm."
The other dogs nodded in agreement. It made Star feel uneasy. He wasn't used to being followed without question.
"Let's spread out and see what we can find," the small husky stated, rising to his paws. "Go in pairs of two, just to be safe."
Immediately, they all got up and formed into groups of two. Star, being the odd dog out, decided to team up with Kaltag and Nikki.
They walked in silence, searching for anything that could serve as a shelter from the dangerous weather conditions the frozen north had to offer.
Kaltag watched Star in his peripheral vision. The smallest member of their team seemed wilted and depressed. Kaltag could understand why. This had been Star's big chance, he saw that now, but everything had just gone wrong. The golden dog noticed with a frown that their new team leader was limping slightly.
"Star," he began, concerned, "are you alright?"
Star glanced down at the paw. It was sore, in fact, it downright hurt, but he didn't really care about that at the moment.
"Are you guys...mad at me?" he asked hesitantly, walking slower. He wouldn't meet their eyes, which worried his two friends.
"Mad?" Nikki said, frowning, "Why in the world would we be mad?"
Star's ears dropped even lower. "I-I failed everyone. I've lost the sled, I've gotten us lost, and I almost got the whole team killed." He paused, stopping in the gathering snow. "You have every right to be mad," he said sadly, barely above a whisper.
Kaltag and Nikki exchanged glances before turning and coming to stand in front of their friend.
"We're not mad, Star," Kaltag said insistently.
"Yeah," Nikki added, "You've done nothing wrong."
Star looked up at them in confusion, his inner turmoil evident on his face.
"But..but the ra-"
"The race," Kaltag interrupted gently, "isn't as important as all our lives."
"You've done everything you could do," Nikki said shyly, "You saved us from the wolves."
Star let out a nervous laugh. It sounded odd, and really didn't contain amusement. "Saved? I-I ran us across a frozen river! We could have died!" He was highly agitated now.
The other two were silent for a moment, before Kaltag spoke softly.
"But we didn't." He smiled as Star finally met his eyes. "You took a risk, yes. But it was the only thing you could have done. Remember the first time Balto lead us?"
How could I forget. Star nodded slowly.
"Remember how we ran inside that cave to escape that avalanche? The cave was full of danger too. Those ice stalagmites could have killed any of us at any time. But Balto took that risk! He ran inside that cave, because he knew that if we didn't, not only would we die, but all the sick children in town would as well. But we survived. He took the risk, and it payed off." Kaltag paused with a proud smile. "That's what you did, Star. Don't you see? Those wolves would have gotten us for sure, if not for you."
Star blushed and looked down at his front paws, unused to such kind words. His mind still felt slightly guilty, but the confusion had cleared up in his mind. He smiled weakly, grateful.
"I've found something!" someone called through the gathering snow and wind. The flakes were coming down heavily now, and the sky had turned a nasty grey.
Star and the others gathered by a small cave that one of their teammates had found. Taking the responsibility of team leader once again, Star went in first.
The cave was a good deal warmer then outside. Part of it being that it blocked the merciless wind. But there was more to it then that. As the others followed him deeper into the humid cave, Star heard Nikki's voice behind him.
"Must be some sort of hot spring. Warm water coming up somewhere."
Star was thankful for the warmth. He hadn't realized just how cold he was until he felt his temperature slowly rising back to normal. His paw, which had been slightly numb, began to ache sharply, the pain receptors in it having regained their full feeling capabilities.
An occasional hole in the cavern's ceiling provided light, much to Star's relief.
Once they were far enough from the entrance to escape the cool draft, they lay down to rest, happy to be somewhere warm.
The sound of water dripping all around them echoes eerily, but it was a welcome change from the wind and snow.
"Who were those wolves?" someone asked, settling down on the damp floor.
"I don't know," Nikki answered, making himself comfortable, "But they were nothing like Balto. They were mean and...evil."
The others agreed.
Star sat down heavily in a beam of light a short distance from the others. He suddenly felt very tired. Lifting his now throbbing paw, he inspected it in the scarce light. His heart leapt slightly when he saw that it was bloody. Nothing real bad, but surprising nonetheless. It was seeping from a cut in the bottom of the pad of his paw, which looked red and agitated.
"How'd that happen?"
The voice started the small husky, and he jumped. He looked up to find Kaltag looking over his shoulder.
Star shrugged. "Must have been when we were on the river. Ice can be sharp, and I guess I got cut."
Kaltag nodded solemnly. "You should clean it," he said, indicating a small, clear puddle.
Star nodded, getting up and dipping the limb into the warm liquid. It stung for a moment, but them the pain subsided and he felt much better. After a while the bleeding stopped, and, giving a couple quick licks, Star settled down for the night. Kaltag followed shortly after.
Outside the wind howled and the snow gathered in a blanket of white. Across the river and far beyond the edge of the forest, the village of Nome awaited the last sled team's arrival. They were late, which was troubling. What was even more troubling was that Rick Cleaveland had been found in the shack of the first check point. His dog team was no where in sight.
Balto, Jenna, and every other dog in town waited anxiously. 9:00 came and went. They waited, but the missing team never arrived.
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The dark wolf dragged himself from the icy water, followed by the others. His fur clung wet to his body, stiffening in the cold. The moon had risen, and a storm raged, clouds covering most of it's light.
He counted his remaining lackeys, snarling when he only counted four besides himself. Five. They had lost five. He snarled with pure hatred. Oh, that little dog was going to pay! He would personally make sure of that!