When the jobs of the mail dogs depend on a race against an airplane, Balto sees their odds of winning to be impossible and guiltily refuses to lead the team. Kodi nearly loses hope when a former champion named Steele offers to take Balto's place in...
When Balto awoke, he saw through the wooden windows of his boat that it was early morning. The sun had not yet risen, the sky a dull grayish blue. He looked up for a moment, then rested his chin back on his paws, turning to face his companion and closing his eyes once more.
Jenna lay against him under their blanket, sound asleep. She had insisted on spending the night here with him, worried that Steele would attack him while he was alone. Despite Balto's efforts, he'd been unable to convince her not to.
He'd told her about Steele's vow to turn Kodi against him. She didn't believe it was possible. But the more Balto thought about it, the more possible it seemed. Nothing meant more to Kodi than his job as a mail dog. Maybe not even me... The race was tomorrow, and Steele was going to lead the team.
"Balto?"
He flicked his ears forward and opened his eyes at the familiar voice calling softly. Dusty? He raised his head while Jenna awoke beside him.
"Balto, are you there?" Dusty called more urgently.
He exchanged a worried look with Jenna before rising to his paws, slipping out from under the blanket and heading out onto the deck. Jenna followed. Are all the mail dogs here? He wondered with a flicker of hope. If I can talk to Kodi alone...
When he and Jenna looked over the side of the boat, he was disappointed to see that Dusty was alone. She stood on the beach, looking up at them. The troubled look on her face worried Balto. "Dusty? What is it?" He asked as he and Jenna jumped down to join her.
Dusty hesitated, shifting her paws in the frost as though she hadn't planned out what she would say.
"Is everything alright?" Jenna asked worriedly.
"I... I don't know. It's Steele." She spoke uncertainly.
Every muscle in Balto's lean body tensed. "What happened?" He demanded. His heart lurched as he feared Steele had done something to Kodi after all.
"Nothing." Dusty seemed surprised by his alarm. "At least... Not yet." She hesitated for a moment. "I don't trust him," She confessed. "I know Steele is a champion sled dog who could probably really make a difference in the race. And I really want to believe he wants to help us. But I've heard the stories about him from other dogs in town, how he's selfish and cruel, and willing to let others die to save his reputation."
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So she's starting to see through Steele. Balto was relieved at this. "The stories are all true," He told her, exchanging a look with Jenna. "We know Steele's true nature firsthand."
"So you think he's up to something." Dusty seemed relieved that they shared her fears.
We know he's up to something. Balto thought. He considered telling Dusty about Steele's plan to take Kodi from him, but felt it would only further worry the young husky. "The rest of the team? What do they think of Steele?" He asked, hopeful that Dusty wasn't the only one unsure of their new lead dog.
