Our Day off.

Kirby and Ralph were not asleep, nor were Saba and Dingo. All four were wide awake when they should be sleeping. It was nearing 1 am and they all left their respective houses to meet in the boiler room. They all got there in time for the first wave of the storm to pass, and figured they'd stay together. All six of, what was left, of the sled team were here now, and they could not sleep.

Day off was not a necessary label for this day, Kirby had suggested the team do their own part and help doc with his plan. After the alarm systems put into place were completed, all of the team were sent back home, as the job as deemed too dangerous for the "town teenagers" as Doc described the mail team in a completely joking way, but It still angered Kirby anyway.

"What can we help with?" Ralph sighed.
"Well, I say we go into the forest and kick their ass before they even get here!" Kirby suggested, getting a laugh from Dingo and Saba.
"That's stupid... Have you even seen a wolf before?" Nova asked in a skeptical way, not taking it as a joke at all.
"Yeah, as a matter of fact, I have!"
"Kodi's girlfriend doesn't count..." Nova replied
"Yeah, and hey, the proper term for love between two wolves is 'mate'" Kirby said the last word slowly, Saba laughed a bit.
"Kodi and Siku are cute, don't you think?" Saba added.
"She's like half... No one forth the size of Kodi..." Dingo said.
"I wonder how they... You know" Ralph questioned.
"I know one thing, it's none of your damn business!" Saba raised her voice in a serious way, but retracted and laughed, unable to hold it long.

As the team talked, one by one they grew tired, and eventually fell asleep around 2 am, around the same time that the storm died down.

Balto soon woke up to talk to Steele at this time, at the old trawler.

Whether or not it was a practice, or just plain habit, the team snuggled together, not caring if it was odd, or a bit suggestive, it was comfortable, warm, and made each dog feel safer when, admittedly, they were all a bit scared and anxious for what would happen to the town in the morning.

Just as the last of them, Nova, rested her head on Saba's neck, and closed her eyes, a sound at the door made everyone jump up.

Each of them stared at the door in horror, while also ready to spring into action and fight if need he. Luckily, voices could be heard before the door even opened.

"Oh, it's just Doc..." Ralph said even though by now everyone knew it.

The door creaked open, letting in cool, moist air from outside as the three dogs walked in. Kirby looked outside and was surprised to find that the rain stopped and the night was clear as ever, but it was still pitch black just feet from the nearest building, and no other marker of anything for miles into the expanse beyond. The forest was somewhere out there, but it was so dark that you wouldn't be able to tell if it was forest, or the frozen ocean. The setting made Kirby whimper a bit at the uncertainty. Who's to say the wolves won't come out right now and wipe out the town while everyone was sleeping?

"Good... Midnight, is it?" Doc seemingly asked his partner. Doc was tired, and a bit dazed, he had no idea what time it was. As the dog to his left nodded, he completed his statement.

"Good morning, then, kids. We've just come to seek shelter. I'd suggest you all get back to your respective homes though. My buddy Frank suggests that earlier rains were just a teardrop compared to the downpour were going to experience in a short while."

As Doc said this, another thunder clap proved his statement.

"No, we're staying here... If need be, we can fight!" Kirby argued.

Doc sighed, but couldn't do much.

"Very well, but you won't have to do any fighting. Don't feel obliged to-"

"Nonsense! I won't just stand back and hide as those damn wolves come here and try to kill the innocent! What the hell happened to Rosie? And Serif?" Kirby raised his voice, cutting off Doc completely.

Everyone else was shocked at how Kirby addressed the supposed 'alpha dog of the town'.

"Son, I respect your enthusiasm, but for your safety, I cannot allow this. What happened to Rosie and her family, and to Serif, was a sad, terrible misfortune. You would not be doing well if you plan in fighting out of revenge! You'll get yourself killed!"

"This is not an ordinary dogfight. These are wolves were talking about here. For most of you, Balto is the closest reference to what you think wolves are like. Haha, well I've got news for you." Doc used his experienced way with words and unintentionally made Kirby sit down in submission to the town alpha. He also got everyone's attention and seemed to slightly frighten Saba in the process.

"Boy have I got news for you... These wolves are huge. They look a bit like dogs, and that's it. Balto is nice, hell, he's a hero, but that is not how these wolves are. That is why Balto has been outcastes for so long. Wolves are ruthless killers, naturally faster, stronger, and larger than all of you! And they operate in a pack perfectly organized by howls and silent messages. Oh, and If Steele's word is correct, there are at least 25 if not as many as 40 of these wolves. Any one of which could easily rip you apart without a sweat."

Doc paced back and forth, entertained by his own words and how they seemed to frighten the kids. He chuckled a bit at their faces as he pretty much told then that the town was doomed...

"Wow..." Saba was the only one to say something after Doc's little speech.

"I'm sorry to crush your spirit, but the best thing you can do is go home, be with your families, and hopefully, live on." Doc said with a voice of terror, like he was himself scared.

It was not a good sign to see the alpha scared.

Nova quietly got up and walked across the room, everyone in the room staring at her as she walked and disappeared out the door without even looking back at anyone. Kirby walked outside and watched as she started to run back home, making sure she made it safely, then soon closed the door as Nova did the same at her home.

He seemed to look up at the rest with a face that everyone could read before he even said it.

"Well? Anyone else?" He asked with frustration.

Nobody moved.

"Are my mom and dad safe at the boat?" Saba asked Doc.

"Yes. I can walk with you and Dingo back with your parents right now, and I suggest we do before the storm picks up." Doc explained.

Saba stood, and turned to Dingo, who didn't move at first. Saba had to bite his neck and pull him up, as he resisted wanting to leave. But he wouldn't let his sister go alone, plus he also wanted to be with his mom and dad.

"That leaves me and you Ralph..." Kirby said as he walked over.
"Kirby... We're two dogs, what can we do?" Ralph said.
"I want to do something to help."
"What if Dusty is still out there, and they attack?" He added.
"Oh... I see what this is about."
"What?"
"Look, I miss Dusty too, but its been over a week... I'm sure she's safe somewhere else."
"Or maybe she's somewhere dying! Or..."
"Jeez Kirby, calm down" Ralph had to hit him softly to snap out of it.
"Look... I can't sleep at night."
"I know, you've always loved Dusty."
"Yeah, but Kodi was a good guy for her, I couldn't do anything about it."
"Hey... Kodi has Siku now."
"I know that, why do you think I'm going crazy hoping dusty comes back?"
"Gonna catch the rebound?"
"Why would you even suggest something like that? I'm happy that I can finally tell her what I've always felt." Kirby explained.

Ralph shook his head with a smile as the younger dog talked. Ralph may have only been two years older than him, but if anything, Kirby was often the more mature o the two. Now he was just a pup in love.

"The only thing you can do now is hope she comes back. Looking for her will not solve anything, because you won't find her. Risking going into the goddamn woods at night while a pack of killer wolves out in their element won't solve a damn thing." Ralph explained.

He stared Kirby down during his lecture, making sure that he was paying attention.

Kirby stared back, try g to find something to say back, but he found nothing. Ralph was right.

"Fine... Walk with me home though."
"A bit scared huh?"
"No!"
"Yes." Ralph replied.
"Is it really so bad to ask my friend to walk with me home?"
"I suppose not."
"Then lets go..."

Ralph smiled at his obvious fear, but he knew that it was a valid reason to be scared. Not only did they know there would be an invasion, unlike Balto, and a very select few of dogs, including Doc, they had no idea that it was probably going to happen tomorrow morning.

The two dogs walked down the same dark street, their finish line being the same one that they craved for every mail run. Reaching the lantern marker, then they turned left through an alleyway. Both dogs jumped as the thunder rolled in, the lightning associated with it flashing the entire sky, crawling from horizon to horizon.

"You scared of thunder?" Ralph laughed.
"Hey, you jumped too!"
"Yeah, well, talk about the lead do for two years being afraid of a little thunder..."
"Joke about the team leader who's afraid of thunder..." Kirby shared in his self-pity.

(Deja-vu?)

The rains were not far behind its thunder, and at 2 AM, there was no sun to provide light, and the alleyway quickly grew darker. The lantern at the end of a street was blowing rapidly and almost as soon as Kirby looked at it, the rains killed the tiny shimmer of light it held.

"This rain... Feels good for once. No more stinging coldness." Ralph said louder than he would normally have to due to the storm.
"Yeah, but I do intend to get out of it..." Kirby said.
"Well, there's my house..." Ralph said to Kirby.
"Goodnight then." Kirby quickly turned around, wanting to get home as quickly as possible.
"You'll be fine on your own, right?"
"Don't worry about me. It's only a few blocks down. I think I might even take my time and enjoy this weather a bit." Kirby joked.
"See ya in the morning then."
"Likewise."

Ralph closed the door, dripping wet, and not wanting to shake himself off in the living room, he went down to his own room, or, the room that was designated to him... And laundry. But sleep wasn't easy to come by, for whatever sixth sense he'd clam to have was indeed tingling this time. Something wasn't right, and it wasn't the impending invasion either.

Kirby, first person.

Man, Ralph wasn't kidding. This rain feels wonderful when you accept it's shocking ability to drench every inch o your fur down to the skin. I can't remember the last time Nome had weather like this, since it was always either snow in the winter, or the usual rain-less summer. I chose to elongate my path home, and chose the outskirts of town, walking outside of any viable perimeter that the town would have in place, where at some points was simply the edges of the various buildings and homes that bordered the wilderness. How weird would it be, a lone dog, at two Am playing by himself in a hurricane. Maybe not too odd, we're it not for there t that I was indeed completely alone out here. Not a single soul emanated anywhere else outside of a building or home, most, if not all, of the town must surely be asleep at this hour.

Clearly someone else out there had the same idea...

I did not realize exactly how far I was from my destination, until I stepped into the wrong pathway between a few thick trees, bordering the town.

My path was blocked, two entities ahead of me stared me down, causing chills to shoot through my spine, but... I was not scared.

I was not scared of the wolves.

I stared them down, it being slightly more difficult in the hard storm, but I made them out to be the color of death. Both of them, nearly identical, we're it not for the left be being about a head taller than the right.

I chose my movements carefully, for I could run, being a sled dog, I might even make it far enough to alert someone at least before I was killed. Or maybe I could fight off the two wolves. For dusty. For dusty. I thought, if it was worth anything, these wolves deserved to die.

Without making a sound, both wolves ran up to me, I ran to them, hoping to beat them, and get in a few good bites. This was not going to happen.

As soon as I even felt their bodies touch mine, I felt like I was just tossed into the air like a stuffed animal. The larger of the wolves shoved me back many feet away, and I still could not stand by the time the second one had its way.

"You... You will all die... You think the rest of us are as weak as you are?" I said. Speech stammered, filtered by the intense storm sounds. But they got my message.

Without saying a word, showing any sign of remorse, not even hesitating, and the smaller wolf bit down where I could only assume was my upper neck, right under my lower jaw, and almost as quickly as he reached his target, I felt all energy fading away. Pain was beyond anything, but at the same time, I felt numb, as if the pain left as quickly as it came. I felt my paws first, and then my legs, then my back, all go numb. Only my eyes stayed open long enough to see that the wolves were walking in a direction away from the town. Nobody would ever know what happened this night.

It was the night I died, in the middle of a category 2 hurricane at 2:21 AM, just 250 meters from my own bed, my home, my family.

I finally accepted it, and let the rest of my body fall prey, and soon closed my eyes. Two wolves killed me that night without a single soul in Nome knowing about it until morning. Not a single dog, or human would know it that the wolves left my untouched dead body here as a warning. A marker. A trophy, and a testament to what they were capable of.

That was my day off, my final... Day off.