Trouble on the Trail
A fickle wind stirred the tops of the evergreens as the first flakes of snow began to drift across the narrow trail. The stillness of the forest below was shattered by a sudden spray of snow churned up by two dozen paws as a sled team toiled against their harnesses. Kodi, the leader, raised his head and sampled the air without breaking stride. As the frigid wind hit him in the face, he returned his full attention to the trail ahead. A change in the weather was coming; that much was evident, and if they were to stay on schedule, they'd have to pick up the pace.
Their musher noticed his lead dog's behavior and reconsidered his plan to continue moving until sundown. The constantly shifting winds foretold of rough weather, possibly even a blizzard. The rapidly decreasing visibility added to his worries. As the snow began to fall more heavily, he made the tough decision to stop the team. It might make the mail late to Nome, but better late than lost. Spotting a small clearing off the trail, he steered the team toward it and brought them to a stop. After unhitching the team, he began to set up camp for the night.
A large gray husky shook the snow out of his fur. "Do we have to run that fast all the time, Kodi?"
The lead dog nodded. "We do if we want to stay on time. We've got a reputation to keep."
"You and your reputation!" the gray husky grumbled. "My paws are killing me!"
"You're always complaining about your feet! Can't you ever complain about something that affects everyone else, Ralph?" a stocky, brown husky shot back.
Ralph scowled at his teammate. "Like what, Kirby? You always pulling to the right?"
"Like, say, the weather? And I don't pull to the right!"
A feminine laugh caused both dogs to look at a petite gray husky who was shaking her head in disbelief. "I think you both complain too much!"
"Zip it, Dusty! It's not like you never complain about anything," Kirby shot back.
"Yeah, but girls always complain, or at least that's what I've heard you say," Dusty said, still snickering. "What's your excuse?"
The rest of the team broke out into laughter.
"Yeah, if only your feet were as fast as your mouth," Kirby grumbled.
Kodi shook his head, trying not to laugh too hard. "Ok, ok. We're in for some rough weather tonight, so let's everyone go find a place to bed down."
"Yes sir! Yes sir!" Dusty replied jauntily, brushing against him as she passed.
"Jeeze, Kodi. You just ain't any fun anymore since you became lead dog," Ralph complained. "I think I liked you better as a rookie."
Kodi stopped short. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Let's face it Kodi, you've become a hard-nose." Kirby explained matter-of-factly.
Ralph nodded in agreement. "Yeah, a real stick-in-the-mud."
"I have not!" Kodi said defensively. "Have I? Come on, guys! I'm not really that bad, am I?"
Kriby shrugged. "Sorry, Buddy-boy, but facts are facts."
"Ralph?"
"Kirby said it. You've gotten awful bossy since you took over."
"I'd listen to him, boys," Dusty called as she dug into the snow. "That wolf-sense of his hasn't been wrong yet."
Still grumbling, the two dogs nevertheless started to dig holes of their own.
Kodi shook his head and walked over to Dusty's snow nest. "Dusty? Can I ask you a question?"
Dusty raised her head out of the hole. "You just did, but I'll give you another," she said with a wink.
"How would you say I'm doing as lead dog?"
Dusty shrugged. "We've only been late with the mail once this month, and that was due to weather. That's the best record I've ever heard of at any rate. You're focused, you always seem to get the job done, you…"
"But what about personality-wise?" Kodi interjected. "Am I letting this position of authority go to my head? Am I trying too hard? Am I overreacting? Am I…"
"Look, Kodi, you're starting to sound like the same tenderfoot that joined the team last year. Relax. You're idealistic, confident, caring…I'd say you're doing a pretty good job all around."
"But do you think I'm bossy?"
"Of course…"
"Seriously?"
"What leader isn't? You gotta do what you gotta do to get the job done."
"Yeah, but…I don't know. I still want to be friends with you guys. Kirby and Ralph…"
"Ah, they're just pulling your leg. It's when they stop complaining that you should start worrying. Besides, you don't ever hear them complaining any when they hear someone bragging about 'Kodi's Team.'"
"Yeah, I guess. It's just…I have so much to live up to, ya know?"
"Look, Kodi. You don't have anything to prove. You're not your dad. You're you. That's good enough for me and anyone else. The other guys would follow you anywhere you wanted to go. And so would I."
A small grin appeared on Kodi's face. "Thanks, Dusty. You're as good of friend as anyone could ask for."
He nuzzled her briefly before moving away to dig a nest for himself. Dusty shook her head and lay down. She sighed placed her head on her paws.
After a quick meal, human and dogs alike bedded down for the night to weather out the coming storm. As the wind picked up and the fire died, a shadow drifted silently through the camp and stealthily approached the sled.
The next morning, Kodi awoke to the startled shout of his musher. He clawed his way out of the insulating snow that had covered him during the night and immediately regretted it as he was met with a frigid gust of wind. Repressing a shiver, he looked around and immediately spotted the musher's cause for concern. Oh no!
The supplies that had remained lashed to the sled were in total disarray. He walked over cautiously to investigate and shook his head in dismay. Whatever had raided the camp had apparently made off with all the food that had been on the sled. A quick examination of the scene revealed the identity of the thief or thieves. Wolves! What are they doing around here?
All around, dogs from the team broke out of their snow nests, looking around for the source of the disturbance. Looking up, at the snow that was still falling heavily, Kodi realized that the team would not be able to travel today, and given their current predicament, he realized that they were in for a meager fare until they got back to Nome. His stomach growled. Well, now's as good of time as any to break the news to the team.
"We've got a bit of a problem, guys," he said, walking over to them.
Kirby yawned and stretched. "Can't it wait until after breakfast?"
"Yeah, I'm starved," Ralph added, rubbing his belly with his paw.
"You're always starved!" Kirby laughed, jabbing him in the ribs. "Just try to finish your chow before we leave."
"That's sorta the problem," Kodi interjected, raising his voice to be heard above the wind. "With the weather like it is, we aren't going to be going anywhere today, and we aren't going to be eating very much either."
A series of surprised exclamations rose from the team, forcing Kodi to speak louder still. "Wolves broke into our supplies last night."
"Wolves! Why those low-down, thieving, good for nothing…"
"I'd like to get hold of one of those mangy…."
Kodi shook his head at the grumbled threats and comments, seeing no reason to argue the point. At one point, he had greatly admired wolves. He still could vividly recall standing in awe at the sight of two wolves when he was a pup, and the occasion was memorable enough to make a lasting impression on him as a pup. Especially after finding out that they were close friends of his father.
Shortly after his father's return last winter, everything had finally clicked in Kodi's mind. He had always heard Balto refer to Kemo as the pups' uncle, but only after realizing his father's true heritage had he recognized his relationship to the two wolves as being literal. Still, he had continued to associate wolves with being honorable and noble for the most part…not fly-by-night thieves.
He decided to try focusing on the positive rather than the negative. "The weather will probably clear in a couple of days, and we'll be on our way."
"But what if it doesn't?" Nova, the youngest dog on the team asked.
"He's got a good point, Kodi," Ralph added. "These storms can last a long time!"
"The weather will clear in a couple of days," Kodi repeated forcefully, though his voice had lost a bit of its confidence. "Until then, though, things are gonna be pretty tight."
"In that case, I got dibs on Ralph's ration," Dusty replied cheerily.
"Uh-uh! Why do you get it?" Kirby challenged.
"I'm a lady, that's why," she returned.
"Could we maybe split it?"
"Okay."
"Hey! What am I supposed to eat?" Ralph interrupted.
"Sorry, Ralph, but the way I see it, you're already eating for two," Dusty said with a grin.
"Yeah," Kirby laughed, poking his hefty friend in the belly. "You've got enough there for two months, Ralphy-boy!"
"I'm big-boned, that's all," Ralph said indignantly.
Kodi shook his head and smiled. At least they were managing to keep their spirits up about this. He felt a chill run down his back as he got the distinct impression he was being watched. Scanning the treeline carefully, he was unable to spot anything out of place. I don't know who you are, but I'm going to be watching.The day passed without further incident as dogs and human alike tried to shield themselves from the weather. No matter how hard he tried, Kodi could not shake the feeling that they were being watched. As dusk fell, he resolved to stay awake and guard their campsite. Just let that robber try sneaking in this time.
Soon enough, the musher crawled into his tent and the fire was left to die down. The snow continued to fall heavily, and as the hours ticked by, Kodi began to grow cold and drowsy watching the flickering embers.
He was just on the verge of giving up watching for the night when something stirred in the darkness. Kodi froze, forgetting all thoughts of discomfort. He watched a lupine form appear at the treeline and hesitate, studying the camp. Deciding the situation to be safe, it crept out into the open and cautiously made its way to the sled. Finding nothing of interest there, it began to creep toward the human's tent. Kodi slowly rose to a crouch, hoping to take the creature by surprise. His sudden movement drew the attention of the intruder however, which snapped its head in his direction. Scrutinizing him for a split second, the creature bolted from the campsite.
"Oh no you don't!" Kodi cried as he bounded into action. His long strides began to close the gap between himself and the intruder.
The creature risked a quick glance over its shoulder, and seeing Kodi closing in, suddenly added an unnatural burst of speed to its pace and began to evasively thread its way through the forest.
"Wait!" Kodi called out as he ran. "I won't hurt you!"
The creature paid him no heed as it continued to lengthen the distance between itself and its pursuer. Kodi briefly lost sight of the other canine before he burst into near-whiteout conditions in a clearing. Blinking to keep the driving snow out of his eyes, he lowered his head and began to follow the intruder's tracks. This, too, proved futile as he the heavy snow soon covered up the other's tracks.
"Blast!" Kodi stopped and shook the snow off his back, his heavy breathing condensing in the frigid temperatures. He looked around for any trace of his quarry but seeing no sign of a trail, he sighed. "No use just standing around. Guess I'd better head back to camp."
He turned around and froze where he stood. He looked one way, then the other. He suddenly realized his critical error…he had just followed a wolf into unfamiliar territory in the middle of a snowstorm. The falling snow had already covered up most of his tracks, and he'd been so intent on following the thief that he hadn't marked his trail in any way. To call this a beginner's mistake was an understatement.
"How could I be so stupid!" he exclaimed, mentally kicking himself. "And I didn't even let anyone else know I'd left! Way to represent, Kodi."
"Well, no sense in standing around in the cold. I'll make my way back in the morning." He sighed and began to dig into the snow.
Kodi yawned, and slowly opened his eyes. White. Everything around him was white! It took him a split second to realize that he was in his snow nest before he clawed furiously at the snow and broke through to the surface. A frigid wind blasted the air from his lungs, causing him to gasp in surprise. He looked around at the frozen scenery, images and memories of the previous night hit him at once. The wolf. The chase. His current situation…
As he stared at the bleak landscape, he shook his head, again berating himself for taking such a foolish action. His mind was reeling as he tried to decide on his next move. He closed his eyes, looked down, and took a deep breath. Slowly letting it out, he opened his eyes and froze. In front of him was a pawprint that he had not made. Turning his head sharply to the right, his eyes followed the tracks toward the treeline. Sniffing them, he recognized the distinctive scent of the wolf he had pursued last night. They smelled fresh too. He glanced up at the sky. The low, dark clouds promised more snow to come. He glanced again at the tracks. A voice deep down inside of him warned him to just find his way back to his team.
Glancing at the sky again, he set his jaw determinedly. "I'll just follow the trail for a few minutes to see where it leads. Then I'll try to find my team." Standing resolutely, he set off following the trail of wolf prints.
He was completely oblivious to the three pairs of eyes that marked his passing. Had he glanced behind him, he would have noticed the swift, shadowy movements of trained hunters spreading out to follow him.
Kodi trudged slowly through the newly fallen snow, tenaciously following the scent of his quarry. He had no definite idea where this trail might lead, but there was no way he was going to let the thief off the hook. After several minutes however, he began to get an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach. I'm not alone. He stopped, listening carefully. The forest was silent but for the sound of his own breathing. He shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts and continued along the path, albeit more cautiously.
Suddenly, the trail of footprints ended in the middle of a small forest clearing. Kodi stopped abruptly, unable to believe his eyes. He began to carefully scan his surroundings, looking for anything that seemed out of place. "Come on, I know you're here somewhere…" he whispered to himself.
A sharp movement to his right caught his eye and he turned to face it. "Hey!"
It's a trap, a voice seemed inside him cried. Realizing his mistake, he started to turn his head back around before he was suddenly hit broadside. He quickly rolled to his feet and came face-to-face with a snarling gray and black timber wolf. As the wolf began to circle around him, Kodi gave his opponent a quick once-over. The wolf was young, that much was certain. Judging by his stance and deep growl, however, this wolf was definitely not here to play games.
"What do you want?" Kodi asked, forcing his voice to remain calm.
The wolf made no reply as it continued to test his guard.
"I don't want to fight you," Kodi continued in the same even voice. "I…."
He was cut off as he was hit broadside again. Again he rolled with the impact and came up on his paws again. This time, though, there were two wolves facing him.
Without warning, the first wolf charged at his shoulder. Kodi recognized the feint mere seconds before his attacker went for his throat instead. He reared back and brought his head down hard on the wolf's muzzle, eliciting a surprised yelp of pain as the wolf hastily retreated a few steps. Kodi spun just in time to intercept an attack from the other wolf. He bit into the back of his assailant's neck but released his hold quickly. The second wolf cried out and jumped away, giving Kodi a moment to reevaluate his situation.
Both wolves seemed rather startled at his reaction times, judging by the way they were cautiously beginning to circle him. It was obvious that they were attempting to divide his attention, possibly in hopes that he would focus on one and allow the other to move in for a critical strike. If they were puzzled at his lack of retaliation, they did not show it as they continued to test his defense for any weakness that could be exploited. He, however, had no desire to hurt them…at least until he could learn what this was all about.
"Look, if you can understand me, I don't want to fight you. I just want to move on."
His attackers snarled in reply, giving acknowledgement to neither his peaceful tone nor his diplomatic offer. Both wolves suddenly rushed at him. Kodi barely had time to react as the second wolf dove to strike at his belly. He leapt into the air and crashed into the first wolf as it jumped to counter his movement. Kodi, realizing his vulnerable position, ripped at his attacker's shoulder, drawing first blood. The wolf howled in pain, stumbling backward as soon as they hit the ground.
Kodi gave his surroundings a quick check to guard against any other attacks before turning his attention forward again. The second wolf had joined the first, who was now favoring his left foreleg. Both made eye contact and then, growling, turned to face him. They began to spread out again. Uh oh. Maybe that wasn't a good idea. He gave the area a quick once over once again Noticing a low overhang flanked by several fallen trees, he slowly began to back toward it, trying to keep them in sight at all times. I can't keep evading these surprise attacks forever. If I can get to that overhang, at least my back will be safe.
Not deterred in the least, the two wolves began to advance toward him. Then, he felt something solid behind him. There! Safe at…
Before he could finish his thought, a heavy force slammed into him from behind and above. As his paws went out from under him, he realized that he had just walked right into another ambush. The first wolf he'd seen must've hidden on top of the overhang waiting for the right moment to strike.
Kodi hit the ground hard, his breath exploding out of him and his eyes glazing over from the sheer force of the impact. He knew that he had just made his final and fatal mistake and briefly wondered what his friends and family would think when he disappeared without a trace. Through his hazy vision, he could see the other two wolves rushing in to finish what they'd started.
"Stop!"
The charging wolves balked at the commanding tone and slid to a stop. Fighting an agonizing battle to get his wind back, Kodi struggled to turn his head to face this newcomer. His eyes widened in surprise when he saw his rescuer. She was wiry and relatively small, yet walked with such dignity and pride that she clearly held a high status in her pack.
"Why do you intervene, Kanti?" the second wolf growled. "He is a trespasser!"
"Yes," the first wolf added, limping forward a few steps. "Blood for blood!"
"That is not our way," Kanti replied sternly. "You know our law. Trespassers are to be waylaid to learn their intentions, but are not to be attacked.
"This we did, but he attacked…"
Kanti regarded him coldly. "Had I not watched your three-point ambush in action, I might have believed that."
The three wolves bowed their heads. Regarding them disapprovingly, the leader walked casually past them and looked down at Kodi.
Kodi, still trying to breathe normally, nevertheless met her gaze without flinching. "What…you…want?" he asked between gasps.
"Can you walk?" she asked coldly.
Wincing, Kodi struggled to his feet.
"I suppose you 'tame' canines are not as weak as I thought," she said with a condescending smile. "Now for the most important question. Can you be trusted to not cause trouble?"
"Why?"
"I did not request a question. Yes or no will suffice."
Kodi hesitated a moment to assess his situation. He quickly arrived at the conclusion that he was in no condition to resist, and even if he was, he would not have desired to test his luck by fighting four wolves. "Yes," he finally replied.
She stared at him as though trying to decide if he was telling the truth. Finally, she turned to the other wolves. "Naskapi, Chinook. You will follow." She looked at the wounded wolf. "Akla, make your way back at your own pace."
Then, she turned her icy gaze back to Kodi. "You will come with us."