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Newfound Emotion: A Kodi and Dusty Romance Story!

By: BaltoLuver63

Subject: Balto

Rating: PG-13 for some OOC (out of character) language

Pairings: KodiXDusty! Yeah!

Summary: After a restless and troubled sleep, Kodi decides to take a stroll through Nome after midnight…and discovers Dusty lying in an alleyway, badly beaten, bruised, and sobbing after being abused and then left to die by her tormentors. As he takes her home and helps nurse her back to health, he begins to get these strange feelings of light-headedness and peace of mind whenever he’s around her…What could this mean? Could it mean Kodi is just growing closer to his already dear friend, or could it mean something more…? Could it perhaps mean…Kodi is…falling in love…with Dusty…?

Dedications:
This piece is dedicated to my good friends and constant readers, Ninetalesuk and Eagle205 (who, I might add, could possibly be considered the GOD of Balto Fanfiction!)! I couldn’t have done this without your support my furry little friends! May you continue to ROCK OUT LOUD forever!

Chapter 1
The Beaten

Kodi sighed and rolled over in the bed of straw where he slept nightly, brown eyes boring holes in the wall opposite him. His body, bathed in moonlight streaming in from an above window, insisted that he rest, that he was exhausted. Kodi couldn’t have agreed more; he was exhausted. After all, who wouldn’t be after pulling a sled nonstop through a driving blizzard for ten hours straight? “But who can sleep when your stupid head won’t shut up and leave you alone?” he mumbled to himself, mind turning back to the dream again, the one about a pack of merciless wolves that he kept having over and over and over again, like a videotape playing in an endless loop…

With another sigh, the rust-colored Husky closed his eyes in an effort to dispel the unwanted and unpleasant images, but this, as he himself quickly discovered, only heightened the problem; with his eyes closed, the vision became much clearer and more pronounced, the scene showing the wolves – there were only three this time around as opposed to the usual dozen or so – with their cold yellow eyes, shaggy dark brown coats and large white fangs. The trio chuckled cruelly as they encircled the crippled deer again, tongues lolling out of the red maws of their mouths as the sucked back long ropy streams of saliva from gaping jaws. Then, they pounced, all three growling and snarling, ripping and tearing at the poor defenseless animal before them, it’s blood flying through the air to splash onto the snow, eyes rolling horribly…

Kodi’s eyes snapped open as he realized he had dozed off, only to have the dream reoccur again. Heart pounding slightly in his chest, the young dog grumbled and rolled over again, closing his eyes, telling himself that it wasn’t real, it was only a dream for God’s sake! As he slipped into another doze, he saw them again, the wolves. But it was not the same. It was different this time. Now, there was no crippled deer with her leg trapped beneath a fallen tree. Now it was Dusty, the best friend he had ever had, and his body jerked spasmodically in his sleep as he heard her last frightened shriek, the words almost lost with the sheer magnitude of the cry.

“KOOOOOODDDIIIIIIII!!!!!!”

For the final time that night, the young Wolf/Husky hybrid was startled awake, a small whine escaping his lips as he saw it over and over again, saw Dusty about to be eaten by the wolves, and he could not be still anymore and he got up. After getting shakily to his paws, he sucked down water from the dish close at hand, the cool liquid working wonders to sooth his rapidly beating heart and furiously racing mind.

Breathing heavily, he almost screamed when Kirby turned over and mumbled in his sleep across the room. Turning his gaze, he saw that worthy was still dreaming peacefully, as were the rest of the members of the small Mail-Dog team…except for one.

“Dusty…” he breathed, the simple exhalation of the name causing an understandably bad, but mercifully short rush of images. He looked over them again, his team, his friends, but couldn’t find Dusty. “Probably had to do her ‘necessary’…” he muttered quietly to himself. He looked out the window, and then back to his small pile of straw that served him as a bed. ‘Screw this,’ he thought, shaggy head swinging gently from side to side. ‘I think I’ll go for a walk…Yeah, a walk that’s it. Just what I need to calm myself down a little so I can actually get some sleep…’

With his plan of action decided, Kodi carefully crept over the rest of his team and slipped out the doggie-door. Immediately the cold winter air rushed into his lungs, refreshing him wonderfully, his thick fur ruffled by the sudden blast of cool air. Flicking his gaze from side to side momentarily, he tried to decide where to go, then just said ‘Screw it.’ again and trotted off down the street with no real idea of where his paws were taking him. Buildings and shops passed by in a haze, but Kodi was too preoccupied with his most recent variation of his dream to notice. What did it mean, seeing Dusty? Surely nothing, of course: dreams rarely meant or had anything to do with the real world…But the detail of it…and the way she’d screamed his name…He shivered slightly, despite his naturally warming coat of fur.

He was suddenly interrupted from this internal interrogation of his subconscious by a soft, almost inaudible snuffling sound. He would have missed it entirely had he not recognized the sound for what it was; someone, somewhere very close by, was crying. Needless to say, Kodi did, for a moment, find this very odd. No one in his or her right mind would be out this late – well, with the exception of himself that was. Then he heard something else that would haunt him forever, right down to his dying day; someone laughed, a low, cruel, almost unearthly chuckle that made him shiver. The crying strengthened in response, and then there came a low piteous moan, followed by a sharp yelp of pain and fear.

The sound seemed to startle Kodi out of his trance, for he began to race down the street, twisting and turning, taking every shot-cut he knew in order to try and reach the steadily increasing sobs more quickly. So much pain and fear was in them that he felt his heart wretch inside his chest as he turned down a side street and knew by the sounds, that he was only a block away, maybe less. He quickened his pace to that of an almost all-out sprint and pushed forward.

As he rounded what turned out to be the last corner, he stopped, and had to fight with all his might and willpower to keep from merely screaming out in rage and horror. Lying on the snow, not ten feet before him, was Dusty. But not his Dusty, not the cheery, bright-eyed canine who filled every one of his days with laughter and happiness; this didn’t even look like a dog.

Dusty was lying on her side, breath coming in ragged gasping hitches as she struggled to stay conscious. Her usually bright and cheerful eyes were now dull, full of pain and tears were streaming from them. Her glossy coat was now caked with dirt and blood from several bite and scratch wounds. One eye had swelled almost shut, the flesh puffed up around it presumably caused some vicious paw-strike. All in all, she looked like she’d been attacked by a Grizzly in a foul mood with a bad case of rabies.

Kodi was at her side in an instant, heart racing wildly. Who could’ve done such a thing, and to Dusty of all dogs? She’d never even growled at anyone, much less given anyone an excuse to abuse her like she’d been! Rage boiled up inside him as these thoughts and more flooded through his mind. ‘I’ll find whoever did this! Find them and rip them apart!’ he mentally snarled. ‘The monster that did this doesn’t even deserve a quick death!’

Dusty’s voice, little more than a croaky moan snapped him back to reality. “K…Kodi? Is…t-that you…?” she asked, and Kodi nearly broke down right then; he couldn’t stand the way she sounded, with her usually proud and confident purr of a voice now reduced to a creaky rasp.

“Y-yeah Dusty. It’s me, Kodi! I’m here, okay? Don’t worry!” he involuntarily licked one of her dirty, blood and tear splattered cheeks.

“Oh…okay…” she trailed off and for a moment, Kodi was sure the worst had come to pass. Then, in a voice barley above a whisper, she asked; “Kodi…Am I…gonna die…?”

“No Dusty.” He said, trying to calm his already quivering voice. “You’ll be just fine! Who…who did this to you?”

“Bunch of…uncivilized mongrels…not like your dad…rude bunch of…idiots…” she replied, and smiled weakly. The small gesture made Kodi feel like his soul had cracked. “…They…wanted a…place…to stay…I told em’…dogs like them…aren’t welcome…here…Told em’ to…get out…They didn’t…like that, so…they beat me up…and would’ve…r-…and would’ve r-…r-…” Grief and shame (not to mention sorrow and obviously extreme pain) overtook her and she started to cry. Cry? No, cry wasn’t a strong enough word; bawl was more like it.

Kodi, overcome with grief for his friend – who had obviously undergone severe pain and humiliation – bent his head and licked the salty tears from Dusty’s cheeks, their taste spliced with the putrescence of blood and dirt. Again, he felt that almost uncontrollable rage build up inside him. Dusty had been almost been raped! RAPED! He now wanted more than ever to hunt down whoever was responsible. ‘I’d like to kill the wolf or the dog – or the thing – that did this!’ but such thoughts were not honorable and he pushed them away, turning his attention to the more important matter, that being his wounded and shaken friend.

He lay down next to her, pressing his furry body against hers in an effort to give what comfort he could, and began to gently clean and lick her wounds, murmuring soft and soothing nothings in order to quiet Dusty down a bit. At first, she whimpered in slight pain as his pink tongue sterilized the gashes he could reach, but after a few moments she quieted and let him do what had to be done. After perhaps ten to fifteen minutes, Kodi stood, moving gently so as not to cause Dusty any further pain.

“Kodi?” she said, slightly alarmed at his abrupt shift in position.

“It’s okay Dusty, I’m just standing up…” he paused slightly, unsure of how to proceed exactly. “Dusty…do you think…can you walk?” He didn’t want to rush her; moving her this early if her body still hadn’t healed enough might make the damage longer lasting.

“I…don’t know…let me try…” She replied, and with a series of strength of both spirit and body that left Kodi in temporary awe, she managed to roll over and push herself into a sitting position, although her breathing quickened to the point where it became little more than gasping hitches. She held this for a few seconds, then would’ve fallen face-first on the ground had in not been for Kodi, who cushioned her impact with his muscular chest and helped to steady her as well. She looked at him with her one good eye and he smiled sadly. “That…that was great Dusty…but I’d better give you a paw if we’re going to make it back to house before…” he trailed off slightly, again unsure of himself and not wanting to make the moment any more awkward than it already was.

“Before…everyone else…gets up…and sees me…like this…?” she panted, raising her voice a bit at the end, turning the sentence into something that was almost a question.

“Yeah…” he replied, cheeks burning slightly. Dusty, in spite of the pain it must have caused her, nudged his snout with her paw.

“Hey…c’mon Kodi…what’re you blushing about…?” she started to smile, but the smile turned into a grimace as a wave of pain tumbled through her body. “Ow…”

“Dusty! Are you okay?” Kodi asked, instantly chiding himself for asking such a stupid question.

“Yeah…my back…hurts a little…is all…Can we…go home now? I’m…a little tired…” she looked at him, eyes seeming almost to plead.

“Sure, you bet.” He replied, and helped her to stand on all fours.

The actual process of movement was made slightly more difficult be the fact that Dusty had to lean on Kodi for support, meaning he had to carry almost double his own weight. However, he did this without complaint, and within the hour, the two of them had reached their Master’s house and had gained the front porch.

“Wait here, okay?” Kodi told her breathlessly, stopping so that she could lean up against one of the outer walls as he went to the front door and began to scratch and whine. When that didn’t work however, Kodi resorted to the big guns; he began to bark and howl in long baritone cries that brought his master to the door in a hurry. Despite her pain, Dusty felt a small shiver course its way down her back. ‘Man…he’s kind of cute when he barks like that…’ she thought. ‘Wait…I didn’t just think that did I? I mean, this is Kodi we’re talking about here!’ She hadn’t much time to think anything else before her owner came hurrying over, scooped her up in his arms and carried her into the house, muttering about calling a doctor…

((()-()))

15 minutes later, Kodi sat in the little back room that served as his sleeping quarters and stared bleakly around. The room, so quiet and peaceful when he had left in not two hours ago, was now buzzing with questions, most of which were directed at him. Kirby, Ralph and the rest were all eager to hear what all the commotion was about, so Kodi told them the whole terrible story; how he’d gone for a walk to clear his head and stumbled upon Dusty, broken and beaten in an alley. It took less than 5 minutes. He was surprised at how easily the worst kind of situations could be summarized. When he had finished, there was appalled silence in the room as the rest of the team tried to comprehend what had happened and (more importantly) why? Why to Dusty? No one could supply an answer.

Kodi sat, shifting restlessly every now and then; he couldn’t stand being made to sit still! He wanted to see Dusty, to make sure she would be okay! Kirby, noticing this little change in Kodi’s mood, padded over to where his friend sat in front of the closed door behind which Dusty was presumably being patched up. “Hey, don’t worry,” he said, nudging Kodi with his snout slightly. “She’ll be fine! Didn’t have anything more than a couple of scratches is all, so don’t sweat it.”

Kodi turned, face almost devoid of emotion. “Kirby, most of those ‘scratches’ were over 5 inches long!” Noticing the way his friend flinched slightly at his tone, Kodi forced himself to calm down somewhat. “Hey,” he said after a pause. “Sorry I snapped at you. It’s just…I’m worried about Dusty is all…” he looked to Kirby, hoping to see understanding.

“Hey bro! It’s okay! I know what you’re going through! We’re all worried about Dusty! Just try to remember you’re not the only dog who cares, okay?” Kirby replied, a thin smile spreading across his face. “And try to get some sleep, you look awful.”

Kodi returned the smile and turned his attention back to the door Dusty was behind as Kirby stood and walked over to converse with the others. None of them understood! It wasn’t Dusty’s physical condition that worried him the most – they’d been through worse; they were sled dogs after all – it was her psychological condition that was his main priority. He’d be surprised if Dusty didn’t come out of this with some sort of lasting damage – she’d almost been raped for crying out loud – and that was what worried him and kept him at his station all through the rest of the night even as, one by one, the others dropped off into sleep again. “Oh Dusty…why did this have to happen to you?” he half-sighed, and continued to wait as the hours and minutes ticked slowly by…

((()-()))

4 to 5 hours later, Kodi was roused from his doze by the abrupt opening of the door and the slightly tense lowered-voice conversation going on between their Master and the Veterinarian, who had a small amount of blood on the rubber gloves, he wore. He shook his balding head and sighed looking over at the still motionless Kodi and five still-sleeping others. “How bad is she, Doc?” Their owner asked in a low murmur, genuine worry etched into his face.

The Doctor sighed again and rubbed at his temples. “Well…she’s going to need about three weeks to heal, what with her throat injury and all. Also, she’s got a sprained left forepaw in addition to God-knows how many other bruises and gashes.” He switched his gaze to regard Kodi’s owner again. “I don’t know exactly what happened out there, but I can tell you this much; somebody – or something – beat the living hell out of that dog. Could be we’ve got a wolf problem on our hands…” He trailed off, looking thoughtfully out the window to the now steadily accumulating snow.

“Will…will she ever completely recover, do you think?” the owner asked, fidgeting slightly; Dusty was one of his best dogs, and he couldn’t afford to lose her this soon when she was so young and strong.

“I don’t know. It’s like trying to predict the weather; you sometimes get lucky and guess right while other times, you’re way off course. I can say for sure she’ll recover from her physical injuries, but there might be damage done to her mind as well. So…we’ll just have to wait and see…”

“Alright…thanks for coming on such short notice Doc.”

“Hey, no problem! Anything for you so long as I get my monthly subscription to ‘Modern Medical Marvels Monthly’ on time!” They laughed softly as the owner escorted the Doctor out.

As soon as the door closed, Kodi got to his feet, padding into the adjoining room. He had to see Dusty! He had to make sure she would be okay! The rest of the team still slept peacefully.

The concerned hybrid crept silently into the room, making sure to give Dusty more than adequate space. She was lying on a large, soft red cushion in a large whicker basket, a soft blanket covering most of her body, but what he could see of her was covered in bandages and stitches. She whined softly in her drug-induced sleep and Kodi involuntarily licked her cheek again, causing her to moan slightly and roll over. ‘Why do I keep doing that?’ he asked himself, and was startled when a small voice in the back of his head spoke up; ‘It’s because you just love the way she tastes…’ it whispered slyly.

Like any sensible dog would’ve done, Kodi told the voice to ‘shut the freak up’ and lay down next to Dusty. He thought; ‘Well, at least now I know my insomnia will be good for something. Now I’ll be able to…stay up all…night and…make sure…Dusty’s…all…right…’ His eyes slipped slowly closed for the last time that night, and he drifted off into lovely dreams of playing in the green meadows during spring and summer, trying to help Muk and Luk overcome their fear of water – something both he and his father had been unsuccessful at for the last three summers in a row.

In particular, however, he dreamed of someone else, someone very special. A female someone, with large blue eyes and a shiny gray coat…someone who laughed and yipped as they wrestled together in the grass…So, mostly, he dreamed of being with Dusty, and of all the fun they had and would have in future springs and summers. ‘Dusty…’ he thought, the words echoing across the vast corridors of his mind as he dreamt. ‘I’ll avenge you…I promise…I’ll make it so that you’ll never have to be afraid of anyone or anything again…I’ll protect you…I swear it…’ So thinking, Kodi and Dusty slept, each – although they didn’t know it unless they could read minds – dreaming of each other…

Author’s Note:

Um…yeah. Okay, so there’s the first chapter! I really hope you guys like this one! I’m working REAL hard on it so please, be gentle! I know it really sucks and the whole idea's a bit cliche, but hey, give me some slack...please? Just looking for some feedback! How was it? Good? Bad? God-Awful? Let me know! I’ll listen to everyone, regardless of opinion!LoL!

BaltoLuver63

Ah... I remember this. A classic from FanFiction.Net... before they kicked you off. I'm glad it's back up!

Yes, I also remember this from Fanfiction.net. An excellant story may I say! Cery emotional and well-written. I have yet to really get the hang of capturing emotions that well, but you hit the nail on the head.
Keep up the awesome work!

-LWf

Edit: And may I also say that you should have an 'Incredible' choic on the poll, but you don't, so I picked the highest one!

The GOD of Balto fanfiction? Come on, Vash. I'm not THAT good. If I was, more people would recognize my work, which they seemingly do not. Good to see you back with the program though. Looking forward to continuing your series, and I hope you have seen my latest chapter in Starcrossed. I tried emailing you but I never received a response.

Thanks for the praise homey G's. Chapter 2 should be up and running later tonight around 8:00PM or so. Hope you all like it. Oh, love your sig Eagle. Maybe I should get one too!

Ah... can't wait for tonight then.

Speaking of sigs, what do you think of my Blue Eyes White Dragon sig...?

Okay...well. So I lied. It's up later than 8:00...but only by like a minute or two. Hope you like. Enjoy.

Chapter 2
The Replacement

Kodi’s eyelids fluttered slowly open, him staring groggily about the room. It took him a few moments to actually realize that he was in the back room, having apparently fallen asleep while watching over Dusty. He raised his head, letting out a long, loud yawn as he did so, and looked across to regard Dusty. He was surprised to find the basket empty, the blanket flowing over one side. It was the work of only a second to sniff and find that she had apparently gotten up to ‘make a little room’, judging from the way her scent stretched across and into the other room and (presumably) out the door.

Kodi’s thoughts on Dusty were immediately swept away as he heard the tell-tale ‘thud’ and ‘clomp’ of his Master’s boots as he descended the stairs to wake Kodi and the rest of the team for their job; delivering the mail both to and from Nome. ‘Should I stay?’ Kodi thought, and then scolded himself for even dreaming of skipping out on work; he loved his job and wouldn’t have missed a single day of it for the world. Still…

‘What about Dusty? Who’s going to look after her while we’re gone?’ another part of his mind argued, and Kodi was torn between the two. He wanted to work, to run, to feel the snow crunching underfoot and to taste the fresh air as he sucked in breath after breath as he and the others pulled. Equally as strong was his desire – hell, almost his need – to stay and take care of Dusty.

A split second later his sled-dog instinct took control, insisting that he was being stupid, that Dusty was a big, strong dog and could look after herself and she didn’t need Kodi watching over her all the time like some overprotective parent. Kodi agreed with this statement, yet he felt…

“Forget how you feel!” he suddenly snapped at himself. “You’re a sled dog, darn it! And when your Master suits you up and tells you to mush, than you’ll mush!” His lips stretched in a determined smile and he stood up, walking into the other room where the rest of his team had already been roused and was getting ready to be fitted to the harness by the Master. At his appearance, a chorus of greetings arose from the assembled dogs. Kirby walked up to him, usually calm yet eager face now carrying a hint of nervousness and anxiety. He surveyed Kodi with eyes that were shiny with anxious anticipation.

“How’s Dusty? Is she gonna’ be okay?” he asked with eyes that seemed to demand an affirmative answer from the still-not-completely-awake dog before him.

Kodi gave the clearly worried dog a comforting smile. “She’s gone now, probably had to use the bathroom, but she slept like a baby the rest of the night.” There was an almost audible sigh as the nervous stench reeking from the assembled canines instantly faded. “She’s got a couple dings and scratches, but other than that she’s fine.” Kirby breathed a sigh of relief. Kodi gave him a slight tap on the top of his head with his long bush of a tail, and Kirby snapped back to reality just as the Master opened the front door and called the team out into the yard, where the bright burst of sunlight temporarily blinded them.

A few minutes later, the team was all ready to be suited up. The only thing that remained was for the master to actually strap them in their respective places in the line. They would be arranged in their usual formation…save for the fact that Dusty’s traces would remain empty for the time being. The Master, having already though of a temporary solution for this problem, had walked a big albino Husky out and deposited him in Dusty’s place. Kodi was a bit nervous, but determined to make the best of this, if only for the sake of his Team.

He turned his head and barked a greeting to the new dog replacement. “Hi! I’m Kodi!”

The albino canine only stared at him, acidic green eyes seeming almost to be searching Kodi’s face...in truth, he almost seemed to be looking at Kodi as though he were a bug he wanted to squish.

In response to this, Kodi’s face fell a bit. ‘Oh no.’ he mentally sighed. ‘Looks like we’ve drafted a real friendly dog.’ “So…what’s your name?”

“Forest.” He replied automatically. Kodi’s heart sank even lower.

Yet, despite this, he tried to act cheerful. “Well Forest, you’re probably wondering why you’re here…”

“My Master brought me here, that’s all I need to know.” He said shortly, in a tone colder than an icy blast of winter air.

Ralph spoke up; “Well, you see Forest, our friend Dusty was attacked by a bunch of wolves or wolf-dogs or something and we needed an extra set of helping paws while she’s busy getting better.” He offered Forest a kindly smile that the other did not return.

‘Oh crap.’ Kodi mentally growled, brow furrowing the slightest bit. ‘Why is it that whenever we need a replacement, they’re always a big bully…?’

“So, your friend got beaten up did she?” he asked.

“Yeah,” Kirby replied, eyes downcast. “I feel real sorry for her. After all she–”

“She must not be very strong if she was beaten by only one or two dogs at once.” Forest interrupted with a slight sneer. “Maybe she should retire and become a house pet instead. Leave the work to those who –”

Kodi snapped.

“Shut up about Dusty!” he suddenly fumed, molten anger seeming to congeal throughout his entire body. “For your information, she was ambushed while she was out for a walk in the middle of the night! The scumbags who did it beat her up and would’ve raped her if I hadn’t come along! If she’s strong enough to survive something like that then she’s more than capable of pulling a SLED in my book! So just shut your trap and –”

“You’ve got a big mouth, Kodi.” Forest growled, baring his fangs. “I don’t appreciate being talked to like that, so if I were you, I’d try not to do it again…”

“Is that a threat?” Kodi asked, baring his own teeth. He was usually renowned for his refusal to fight with any of the other dogs on his team, but this time was a little different.

“Yes it is…” Forest replied. His green eyes suddenly flashed in an unsettling way. “If I didn’t know any better…I’d say you’ve got a thing for little miss ‘I-got-beat-up-by-a-bunch-of-stupid-mutts’…” he sneered, lips curving in a rotten little smirk.

“Shut up you.” Kirby suddenly growled, anger sparking. “I’m warning you…I don’t like it when someone talks about my friends like that…”

“What are you and ‘Lover-Boy’ over there gonna’ do if I don’t, huh?” Forest shot back, hackles rising slightly as the hair on both Kodi and Kirby’s backs stood up in response, growls of warning issuing from the two.

A vicious fight would have no doubt broken out among the three dogs had Dusty herself not come limping around the side of the house to see what all the fuss was about.

((()-()))

Dusty mumbled and opened her eyes, the fragmentary bad dreams fading away to merciful nothingness. Not that she cared at the moment, as her chief concern was getting outside and doing her business out there and NOT in the house. She tried to move her legs and winced as a dull pain shot through her entire body. She gritted her teeth however, and with a sense of grim determination all her own, forced her tired, achy body to an upright position and managed to coax her shaky legs into supporting her weight.

The actual process of movement was a bit more difficult, seeing as her legs wanted to collapse with every new step she took. By the time she had managed to maneuver around Kodi, slip into the next room, make her way stealthily past her running mates and finally out the door and into the back yard, she was breathing heavily and both her chest and lungs were burning. A normal house-pet type of dog would’ve sank to the ground under these circumstances, but Dusty was not the only female sled-dog on the team for nothing; Thanks to her constant training in endurance by the harsh climate, her muscles were stronger than the normal dogs’ and she felt she might be able to last a little longer…though how much longer she wasn’t exactly sure…

She hastily did her business, making sure to cover up the more solid portion with pile of snow with one strong sweep of one of her back legs, the feat nearly costing her to lose her balance. ‘See girl, you’re tougher than you look,’ she told herself, her self-confidence building with every word. ‘You made it all the way out here, even with all these injuries, and still managed not to wake anyone up!’ Her heart swelled, a small flame of pride burning inside of her, giving her a bit more strength.

An instant later that little flame sputtered and died as she heard her Master get up and come down the stairs, preparing to summon her teammates from their sleep to once again brave harsh winds and blistering cold to…deliver the mail. ‘You know, it kind of sounds lame when you say it like that.’ She thought, a small, amused smile playing across her face. ‘Better not let Kodi wind of that one!’ She thought, giggling slightly, and then stopped after almost losing her balance and tumbling to the snow.

‘Okay, time to head back inside before you fall over and have to wait for Kodi or Kirby or one of the others to come and find you lying here like some old mutt.’ She told herself and started off on her slow, shaky journey to the back door. Halfway there she heard voices. Fist Kodi asking, in a polite and kind tone, for someone’s name. ‘Oh no!’ Dusty thought miserably. ‘I got replaced!’ Everyone knew it was a sled-dog’s greatest shame to be placed on the sidelines while the rest merely shot by pulling the sled in their wake.

Her self-induced pity-party was interrupted as she heard a strangely familiar voice reply “She must not be very strong if she was beaten up by only one or two dogs at once.” The voice paused and she could hear the sneer embedded in it like a chunk of glass in a marshmallow when it spoke again. The voice…she knew it from somewhere, but it rang a bell to faint to distinguish. “Maybe she should retire and become a house-pet instead.” Anger burned in her mind as she heard this. She didn’t know who the heck this dog though he was, but she knew she wouldn’t stand to be degraded like this, no sir! The voice continued “Leave the work o those who– ”

Kodi’s voice, loud and dripping with outrage, cut in sharply; “Shut up about Dusty!” he yelled, and the canine in question shrunk back a bit; hearing Kodi talk like that was…well…a little scary… She stiffened slightly as she heard his next words.

“For your information, she was ambushed while she was out for a walk in the middle of the night! The scumbags who did it beat her up and would’ve raped her if I hadn’t come along! If she’s strong enough to survive something like that, than she’s more than capable of pulling a SLED in my book!” Dusty’s heart swelled again, the small flame of pride that had shank to nothing more than a guttering spark blazed into something akin to a bonfire. ‘I never knew he cared so much…’ Her gratitude towards him grew as she continued to listen. “So just shut your trap –”

Kodi was cut off yet again by the strangely familiar, yet cold voice saying. “You’ve got a big mouth Kodi. I don’t like being talked to like that, so if I were you, I’d try not to do it again…” Dusty shivered slightly at the presence of the low growl in the stranger’s voice. She didn’t like where this was headed…

When she heard Kodi’s voice reply “Is that a threat?” she decided it was time to put a stop to this before somebody got hurt…or worse. She limped with all the speed she could manage, which wasn’t much, due to her injuries, mind set on keeping a fight from breaking out between her friends and her replacement (ugh, how she hated the word). Her pace quickened as she heard Kirby growl out “I’m warning you…I don’t like it when someone talks about my friends like that…” and became faster still as she heard Forest – or so she’d heard Kodi call him a few seconds before – reply: “What’re you and ‘Lover-Boy’ gonna’ do if I don’t, huh?”

From the tone of menacing challenge in his voice, Dusty judged it very fortunate for everyone that her appearance from around the corner of the house at that exact moment was timed just right. She could tell from one glance that she hadn’t been a second too soon; had she not caused a momentary ripple in this stream of rapidly unfolding events, it would’ve been very likely that their Master would’ve found three angry, ferociously fighting dogs when he returned with what supplies he needed for their journey. As it was, upon seeing Dusty – the very dog around which the commotion was centered – any and all hostile activity ceased and they just looked at her with astounded surprise. Dusty felt a maddening urge to suddenly burst out laughing; with all of their mouths hanging open like that, they reminded her of a bunch of newborns.

She suppressed it with only the great force of her not-inconsiderable willpower and gave them a look. Her mouth turned down in a frown, her eyes narrowed slightly, and her brows knitted together. It is the sort of look an irritated mother wears when she discovers her pups squabbling over something not even worth the energy of the argument. It is the sort of look that asks, ‘Alright-just- what-the-heck-is-going-on-here?’

“What’s all this fuss about?” she asked, panting slightly. Now that she had stopped moving, her aggravated body finally had time to notice the red-hot band of pain that ran up and down her left side. She looked at them, head cocked, her appearance of a disapproving mother confronting her pups only strengthened by this.

Finally, Kodi broke the stunned silence. “Dusty…what’re you doing out here? You should be inside…”

Dusty waved this notion away as if it were an annoying bug. “Oh, c’mon guys! Give me a break! Look, I know you were talking about me and– ”

Forest’s voice interrupted, it’s icy blast stabbing through her calm, gentle, yet slightly insistent tone like a jagged set of teeth cutting through bone. “So, you’re the weak little sled doggie who got beat up by a bunch of mutts." He smirked. "How very sad.” He added, voice dripping with sarcasm. He snickered derisively.

Dusty’s head turned abruptly to regard Forest, that cocky and obnoxious albino Husky. Her upper lip curled involuntarily, exposing her white teeth. The words might as well have been a paw-slap to the face; they had the same effect. Dull, impersonal anger pulsed through her and she glowered at Forest, who looked slightly taken-aback, yet regained his composure so quickly that you wouldn’t have known it was there, even for an instant. “Shut up, you.” She growled. “You’ve got no idea what it was like, what I went through last night.” Tears formed in her eyes and trickled slowly down her cheeks, she seemingly unaware of them as the streamed down her face, darkening her beautiful coat and staining it a darker gray as a mark of their passage.

“How would you know…? How could you understand…? You…” Her anger suddenly strengthened and in a sudden rush of emotion, she strode briskly forward, all pain temporarily forgotten, until she was almost nose-to-nose with the now thoroughly surprised Forest. She raised her right paw, drew it back, and brought it crashing across the stunned Husky’s face with all the strength she could muster.

Forest blinked in amazement; never, in all his life, had a female ever dared to do such a thing to him. It was unprecedented. His cheek was already starting to throb and swell where she had hit him. Yet, for the moment, his shock held sway over all, and he swung his head to look at the now ‘no-longer-so-angry’ Dusty, who still had tears streaming slowly down her furry face to drip onto the snow where they instantly turned into small particles of ice.

“…You…you selfish pig…” Dusty breathed, narrowed eyes still boring holes into Forest’s unprotected face.

Yet Forest – not unlike a certain albino Malamute who had once been involved with Jenna in a similar situation, only it the Broiler Room – was, as I think I’ve sad before, not at all used to having a female slap him in the face and (like said albino Malamute) his shock was rapidly turning to anger. Then rage. “Nobody…Slaps…Me…NOBODY!” he snarled, causing Dusty to back up a few steps and allowing him to take a few menacing ones forward. “You’re gonna’ be sorry you did that…” he growled.

Kodi had been watching all of this quietly, but intently, form the sidelines, and had given Dusty her rightful chance to handle this her way. But now, with Forest’s anger clearly rising – not to mention his rapidly crumbling restraint – Kodi decided it was time to intercede.

“Back off, Forest,” he said, moving forward to block Dusty and positioning himself between the two of them. “I’m warning you…If you try anything…” He growled to finish the rest of his implied statement.

“Get outta my way, Lover-Boy,” Forest snarled in reply, lips writhing back to expose his teeth. "Get out of my way right now, or I'll you a whole new meaning to the word 'agony'."

In response to this, Kirby, Ralph and the others gathered to either side of Dusty, all of them sending an all too clear message; ‘Go ahead and try it. We’d be happy to royally bust you up…It’d give us a chance to blow off some of this collective anger…’ In spite of this obvious show of superior force and numbers, Forest looked like he just might be angry enough to go ahead and try anyway, just to be able to get a shot at Dusty.

It certainly would’ve gotten bloody and somebody – maybe 3 or 4 somebodies – would’ve ended up needing medical attention had their Master not finished loading up the sled and now called all his dogs over to him to be fitted to the traces. With a growl of frustration, Forest stalked over to where Kodi’s Master waited, pausing only briefly to shoot a single, furious glance back over his shoulder at both Dusty and Kodi, the latter returning the look. His soon-to-be widely known dislike of Dusty made Kodi distrust him, but the over-all vibe of bad, uncontrollable and unreasonable temperament radiating from the dog only served to deepen his mistrust and dislike.

As most of the others wished Dusty a speedy recovery – most of them going something like ‘I don’t like this guy. Hurry up and get better so we can drop his sorry butt and make this job fun again’ – and hurriedly trotted over to the sled to be fixed into their place in line, Kodi lingered for a moment to turn and regard Dusty, who was looking at him with a sort of half-gratified-relief and half-disapproval. “Thanks for your support back there,” she said, smiling at him. “But I could’ve taken care of him.”

Kodi returned the smile. “I know you could’ve probably taken him with one paw tied behind you, but you know,” he shrugged one powerful shoulder. “Never hurts to be safe, right?”

“Oh go away, you big fuzzball!” she giggled, and then abruptly stopped as a sudden spell of nausea overwhelmed her and she teetered precariously on her feet. She would’ve crashed down sideways into the snow had Kodi not – once again – cushioned her fall with his body. She looked up at him, smiling benignly. “Whoa…deja-vu…” she said, mentally giggling at the slight blush that had tinted Kodi’s cheeks.

“Come on,” he said, “Let’s get you inside, you’ve been out here too long as it is…” He helped her into the house, supporting her with his shoulder and helped her as much as he could to get comfortable in her little basket once inside.

“How’s that?” he asked after he seizing the blanket in his teeth, draping it over Dusty and tucking any extra material into the basket with his nose.

“Really comfy, thanks.” She replied, looking gratefully up at him. “I wish I could go with you guys…” Her smile grew wistful. “I hate having to just lie here while you’re out there, doing all the work and having to put up with that obnoxious jerk-wad Forest…”

Kodi nudged her with the tip of his nose. “Hey, it’s just as important that you stay here.” He smiled. “The faster you get better, then the faster we can dump Forest and get life back to the way it was…” His smile broke into a broad grin. “Besides,” he said, “someone has to stay here and protect our food…”

They both laughed at that.

Finally Kodi turned to go, having been prompted by the anxious calls of his Master. When he had almost reached the door that led from the back room to their sleeping quarters, Dusty called out; “Kodi?”

“Yeah?” he replied, turning to her.

She smiled. “Make sure you come back safe.”

“You bet!” Kodi replied, choosing to take the statement in the plural form, meaning bring the Team back safely, and to ignore a slightly more convincing voice that whispered earnestly that Dusty’s words had been directed only to him.

With that, Kodi walked outside, where his Master strapped him to his rightful place as Lead Dog. His Master, after a final check to make sure all was well, jumped on the runners and called out “HIKE!” whereupon all the dogs shot forward, Kodi in the lead.

As his feet began to pound out that old familiar rhythm and he entered his ‘zone’, his thoughts drifted helplessly back to Dusty, lying at home in her basket with her blanket tucked around her, snug as could be.

‘Get well soon Dusty,’ he thought as he upped their pace a bit. ‘For…for my sake if not for your own…’

((()-()))

There she is. Chapter 2! Hope you guys liked it! Not much to change around in this one, seeing as I liked it the way it was. Tell me what you think! Replies are like my coffee; they keep those creative juices a-flowin'. I should be posting the first chapter of my other Balto fic, entitled 'Newcomer' maybe around 8:30 or so tonight - man I'm on a roll. If you'd like to, read it; certain characters who have key roles 'Newcomer' also have significat roles in 'Newfound Emotion.' (You veteran readers should know who I mean.)

LoL

BaltoLuver63

Oh, and Ninetalesuk, your sig is TOTALLY boss! Wish I had one like it...as a matter of fact, I think I'll go look for an appropriate Balto pic right this minute whilst I await your replies! Se ya!

Excellent work, man... like always

Seeing as I remember you had up to SIX chapters... by any chance you done 7 as well...?

And if you like what BEWD looks like... wait until you see Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon AND Blue Eyes Shining Dragon.

Dude, I can't wait. By the way, what do you think of my Avatar? Pretty niffty, huh? And to answer your question regarding chapter 7; I'm about 1/4 of the way done at the moment and I'm hoping to at least e-mail you or private message you chapter 7 by Friday, if I'm lucky and God is with me (also granted I don't flunk my Algebra test on Wednesday or screw up my oral presentation of a portion of my fic in English class - big grade. Wish me luck.)

LoL

BatloLuver63

I can't wait for chapter 7.

And here is Ultimate Dragon... http://www.absoluteanime.com/yu-gi-oh/b ... dragon.gif

And Shining Dragon... http://find-ccg.com/GF/USC/CCGYUGPM/MOE ... _1PIA.jpeg

Thnks for the links dude...unfortunately, they didn't work. But no biggie: I've already seen what they both look like (a la 'Yu-Gi-Oh: the Movie), so it's all good! I should have chapters 3 and 4 up later today or tonight, just a heads up!

It's kind of heartbreaking when Dusty is about to be eaten by the wolves,other than that it's great.

Ah... can't wait for 3 & 4 tonight... and you better tell those who have hurt Dusty that someone is after them...

Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon: *Growls*

And it ain't pretty for what's going to happen to 'em, I can tell ya.

In addition to Blue Eyes, they will have the might of the Ice River Pack upon them! And let me tell you, they know the woods around Nome like the back of their paw, so once they come, there will be no escape for those poor unfortunate evil creatures who hurt Dusty.