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[A few years later | January 9, 1921]
As a heavy snowstorm races throughout the Alaskan wilderness, so too does a dogsled team. There is a single lead-dog in the front, two swing-dogs behind, two rows of two team-dogs next, and two wheel-dogs in the back. The only team member not in their proper placement is the musher, who is lying down on the front of the sled rather than standing on the end where mushers do. Many cuts and bruises can be seen where his skin shows, and his clothing is dirty and torn. The cause is unknown, but the result is straightforward: he is dead. In the front of the sled, the lead-dog is none other than Talon, himself. More so, in the very back, the wheel-dog on the right just so happens to be Ryder. Both Talon and Ryder have become quite muscular, and Talon quite large for his breed. Other than that, there is one crucial difference between the two dogs. As they all run, Ryder continually wears a face of worry. The cause behind his concern is Talon, who is smiling cockily as he forces the team past its limits. "Talon!" Ryder yells for Talon to hear. Talon does hear him, but ignores him. "Talon, we need to stop!" Ryder yells again. In response, Talon quickly yanks forward, hinting that they are not stopping. "He's going to get us killed," Ryder thinks. He dives into his thoughts, trying to figure out what he should do, if he can even do anything. There is only one thing he can think of, but he fears the consequences that may follow. After another yank forward from Talon, however, Ryder realizes Talon is leaving him, and quite frankly, everyone else no other choice.
Mentally preparing himself, Ryder takes a deep breath, and yells, “STOP!” He drags his paws in the snow, forcing the team to stop, some of them tripping and falling. They all glance over to him as he is already crawling out of his harness. As Ryder approaches Talon, Talon yells, “What in blue blazes are you doing, Ryder? "Talon, you and I both know that you have gotten us lost! We have been out here for days, the snowstorm is getting worse, and our musher is dead! If we don't find our way to a town, or at least a proper shelter, we won't make it at all." Now Talon crawls out of his harness, and gets face-to-face with Ryder. "Are you challenging me?" he threatens. Smugly, Ryder responds, "Well, it's more of a threat than a challenge, but sure. Either way, I’ll do whatever I have to do. If you don’t get your head out of the snow, we’re all going to die out here.” The rest of the dogs whisper among themselves, starting to agree with Ryder. Talon looks around frantically, beyond infuriated that his own team is doubting him, especially over such an obvious low-life as Ryder. "You've got a lot of nerve talking to your leader like that," Talon threatens. "Some leader you are, that's for damn sure! At least I have more nerve than you do, or else we'd totally be screwed." “SHUT UP!” Talon yells, swinging his claws at Ryder, just barely scratching Ryder’s muzzle as he dodges.
As Ryder steps back after dodging, he stands and stares at Talon, as does the rest of the team. “Y-you’re crazy!” Ryder says, still slightly shocked. As Talon is about to say something, Ryder interrupts him, saying, “Talon, look at yourself! You are no leader acting like this. If you won’t stop your pride from killing us all, then I will. I think it’s time I take charge, at least until we get back home.” Hearing that, Talon’s eyes flare with bloody rage. The other dogs quickly back up; even Ryder is caught off guard. "This is my race, Ryder! You will not ruin it!" Talon screams. As if out of nowhere, Talon attacks Ryder. The agouti husky is quick-reacting, countering Talon by tossing him aside. He does not want to hurt Talon any more than he has to. “Enough, Talon!” Ryder pleads. Surprisingly, Talon stops attacking. “Yeah … you’re right. I have had enough of you,” he says. Catching Ryder off guard, Talon launches at Ryder, latching his teeth onto the underside of Ryder’s neck with all of his strength. He slams Ryder to the ground, and pins him while choking him with his front paws. In a choking, raspy voice, Ryder says, "We just need to get home. Hurting me … will hurt the team." Talon smiles maliciously. After an eerie silence, Talon slowly shakes his head, and says, “No. The team doesn’t need you. No one does, or ever will.”
Fast like lightning, Talon rakes his claws along Ryder’s chest, inflicting excruciating pain upon the poor husky. As Ryder yells in pain, the other dogs stand and watch, frozen with fear, and too powerless and afraid to do anything. With a whiplash-like shove, Talon flips Ryder over, and slowly rakes the claws of his right fore paw along Ryder’s back down at an angle. Ryder screams out again, mentally begging Talon to ease up and consider the team for once. Talon bites the back of Ryder’s neck, and squeezes, spilling a lot of blood. He then picks Ryder up, and drags him over to the steep and very, very large mountain hill next to the path they’re on. "You like the snow, don't you?" Talon asks rhetorically. Ryder looks back at Talon, terror consuming his eyes. "How 'bout a little color to it? How about ... red." Talon says maliciously. With a large swish, Talon throws Ryder over the edge, and watches him fall, land, and tumble down the mountain they are currently standing upon. He turns back to the team, who all immediately, out of fear, perk up in a soldier-like fashion. "Okay, here is what we'll do," Talon starts to say.
As Ryder descends down the mountain, falling and sliding uncontrollably, he frantically struggles to regain control. Unfortunately, his struggles are in vain. He yells in his efforts, in pain from painful impacts, and in deathly fear. The branches and rocks he tumbles over give him cuts and scratches all over his body, meanwhile worsening his cuts and scratches already inflicted by Talon. Even through all of the spinning and tumbling Ryder is doing, he catches a small glimpse of a ledge. He panics, and violently struggles to stop, but he continues to slide, and he falls over the ledge. Luckily enough, the ledge isn’t even six feet high, but there is a patch of solid ice on the ground below. Ryder lands on the ice hard, and hits his head even harder, nearly being knocked out in the process. However, his rough impact also slows his descent down the mountain. As he continues to slide, his fear for his life grows stronger. He has become too weak and hurt to move, let alone use enough force to stop his descent. He is too exhausted to even express his own fear. All factors considered give him very little hope and a lot to hope for. But even still, despite those odds, he does hope. He closes his eyes, having accepted his likely fate, but also keeping that small spark of hope held deep in his heart.
As Ryder drifts along the snow, he slowly rotates, and ends up sliding head first. He opens his eyes, and his hope goes right over a cliff; literally. Fueled by adrenaline and fear, he uses what little strength he has to dig his claws and paws into the snow, desperate to stop. He does slow down a good bit, but it is not enough. He flips over the ledge, and yells in terror as he descends down the cliff. As he descends, his life flashes before his eyes. But, the only things he sees are bad memories, each one making him feel worse and worse about both himself and his situation. It is as if Mother Nature herself has a strong and passionate hate for him. As Ryder comes back to reality, he mutters to himself, "I've done nothing with my ... ." He is not even able to finish before he impacts with something white, but it is not snow. It is a she-wolf; a large, beautiful Arctic she-wolf with fur as white as the snow and fire-yellow eyes that burn with the utmost beauty. When Ryder impacts her, the greatest pain he has ever felt flares all throughout his body. However, his collision with her also slows his descent, perhaps saving his life. Both Ryder and the she-wolf fall to the ground, both of them hurting at least physically.
[The next day | January 10, 1921]
Ryder wakes up … somewhere. He doesn’t immediately wake up, he starts off by beginning to stir. The first thing he knows is that he is lying on his side. Shortly after, simultaneously, he feels his coldness and pain. After that, more pain, and more, and more. All of a sudden, Ryder jolts awake, and his eyes pop open. He loudly and painfully groans; his entire body is on fire, and all of his muscles are extremely sore. He is covered in blood, too; so much blood that more of it than fur is visible. The snow below him is also drenched in his blood. Saying that he is unsettled to see so much of his blood on the ground is an extreme understatement. He begins to shiver violently and breathe rapidly, both of which only make his body ache more. Then finally, Ryder recalls everything that has happened to him, up to when he fell off the cliff. After taking a moment to gather himself and his thoughts, Ryder slowly and shakily lifts himself up until he is standing. Immediately, due to his excessive pain, he sits down. He then looks around the area, and up at the cliff he fell down. Given how high it is, he is surprised he even survived. He then recalls the moment before he was knocked out: he collided with something. He looks around again, until just behind and next to him, he sees a peculiar-looking lump in the snow. He painfully shifts his body to see it better, and upon further examination, he realizes that it is not snow, but fur. It is the she-wolf from before, the one he (unknowingly) collided with. Seeing her there, lying like that, Ryder presumes that she is what, or in this case, whom he collided with. With this knowledge, he is filled with guilt. The impact could have easily killed her. In fact, the only reason he is sure she isn’t dead is the steady rise and fall of her body as she breathes.
“Okay, she’s fine. I can leave,” Ryder thinks, at peace knowing that neither he nor the she-wolf died. He stands up, then he falls. He had momentarily forgotten the condition his body is in. Taking more care this time, he slowly and shakily stands up. He is still extremely sore, and his entire body is still on fire, but he manages to stand and gain his balance. He begins to walk away, but he stops. Not because of his pain, but something else. He looks back at the she-wolf. She is breathing a bit slowly, and one of her paws looks pretty messed up. “Don’t do it, Ryder,” he whispers to himself while looking away. “Come on, don’t do it, don’t do it, it’s a freaking wolf! She can survive on her own, you need to do the same!” He squeezes his eyes shut, then opens them and looks at the she-wolf again. Everything he has ever learned tells him to run away, but a strong, old, internal instinct prevents him from doing so. He cannot pinpoint what it is, and then he remembers. “Most wolves aren’t mean to humans and dogs, and they never want to be. They will only be mean if someone else is mean to them first,” Ryder remembers Xavier telling him.
Ryder sighs heavily, then to himself, he mutters, “Worth a shot.” A bit reluctantly, Ryder approaches the unconscious she-wolf. Close up, he notices she is larger than most wolves, and rather … attractive. He mentally kicks himself for his thoughts, and looks around the area once more. Through the snowstorm, it is extremely difficult to see anything except white. After a thorough scan, he finally catches sight of something not too far away: a cave. “Oh, thank you Mother Nature!” he says. With all of his strength from past sled racing and training, he is able to resist his agony and exhaustion enough to slowly drag the she-wolf by the scruff toward the cave. This is a very slow and painful process, but he feels obligated to help since he is the reason she is hurt. After about a minute, Ryder lets go of the she-wolf’s scruff, too exhausted to go any further. He looks toward the cave, and almost cries out in anger and pain seeing that it’s still a good distance away. He feels as if he hasn’t even gone anywhere. After waiting another second to regain some of his energy, he reaches down and grabs the she-wolf’s scruff, and continues to drag her across the snow toward the cave.
Due to his positioning, as well as his fatigue, Ryder does not notice the she-wolf begin to stir awake. The first thing that comes to the she-wolf’s attention is that she is being dragged. Shortly after, she realizes that whatever is dragging her is pulling her by the scruff, with their teeth. She immediately kicks into survival mode, rising up like a whale and spinning, tossing Ryder to the ground. Of course, due to his condition, Ryder groans painfully as he lands on the ground. When the she-wolf steps down on her left fore paw, the sprained one, she quickly pulls it back up, but she doesn’t change her posture or appearance. “What are you doing, mutt? Get out of here!” she commands. As Ryder slowly and painfully stands up, he groans loudly again. “I … I’m sorry … I was,” he tries to say, but fails to speak properly between his heavy breaths. He is breathing very heavily, yet very slowly, having some trouble breathing. He loses his balance for a moment, but not so much that he falls over. “Was trying to … help,” Ryder says airily. He can feel all of his strength and energy deplete while his pain grows, and he starts to get extremely dizzy. He tries to take a step, but his legs give, and he collapses to the ground. His slow and heavy breathing softens, but also slows down a little more. He tries to lift himself up, and partially succeeds, but he falls back to the ground, landing on the opposite side than he did after falling off the cliff. Ryder groans in pain again, but not as severely. After that, he opens his eyes, and sees the she-wolf standing above him. As the two of them lock eyes for a second, the she-wolf is surprised, confused, and emotionally-pained. Despite being a bloody, nearly-motionless dog in the presence of a she-wolf, Ryder does not show a hint of fear. In his eyes, all the she-wolf sees is pain and desperation. “Please … help me,” Ryder says quietly. After that, he loses all of his strength, and he passes out.
The she-wolf stands there, completely awestruck by what just happened. He must truly be suffering to stare a wolf in the eyes and ask them for help. She wonders how he ended up with so many injuries, and how he even survived it. "I will help you, then," she says. Her voice is surprisingly soft, as if the wind itself is her voice. She walks over to Ryder's side, and very carefully, she rolls him onto his stomach. Since both of his sides have been in contact with the snow, a good amount of the blood is in the snow rather than on his back, meaning that the she-wolf can get a decent examination of his wounds. As she examines them, none of them look good, then she takes notice of his neck. There is still a good bit of blood on it since it does not touch the ground entirely, but the she-wolf understands that there being so much blood there means there must be a bad injury to his neck, likely a bite. When she looks back at his back, she finally takes notice of the long clawmark inflicted by Talon, the one going across Ryder’s back at an angle. Of course, the she-wolf does not know the identity of Ryder or his attacker, but she can clearly-tell a canine had something to do with it.
"Who did this to you?" she whisper-asks with pity. Deciding to not wait any longer, the she-wolf carefully slides her snout under Ryder's stomach, and slightly lifts him up. Taking extreme care with his wounds, she slides her head and neck under Ryder's belly, and successfully lifts him onto her back. She can feel some of his blood seep into her fur, but she is not worried about that right now. With Ryder secure enough on her back, the she-wolf takes off into the forest in a light run. She could go faster, but she does not want to cause the nearly-dead husky on her back any more stress than he has already been through. After about ten minutes of running, the she-wolf finally comes across what she was looking for: a den. The cave Ryder had been dragging her toward was too risky, because it had a recent scent of bear in it. The new den the she-wolf found is a very small cave embedded into the side of a small hill. The cave is barely big enough for a bear, the perfect size for the two of them. She walks in, crouches down, and sets Ryder down as carefully as she can. However, it is not careful enough. As Ryder lightly flops onto the floor, a small whine escapes his throat. "Oh, I'm sorry," the she-wolf softly says with remorse and guilt.
Now that her first goal is complete, all the she-wolf has to do is heal Ryder. "I need the stuff so I can heal you, I'll be back shortly," the she-wolf says before running back into the storm, immediately disappearing due to its thickness and the whiteness of her fur. She is not sure if he is conscious enough to hear her, so she told him in case he could. After about an hour and a half, the she-wolf finally returns to the cave. She is carrying a large plate of wood that is completely filled with various Winter plants, herbs, and even berries she managed to find. Right now, the time of day is around dusk, but the area is considerably darker than usual due to the thickness of the storm. Despite the darkness, the she-wolf can see clearly with her evolved, wolf eyes. Ryder is still lying in his spot, and is still breathing, but he is only breathing lightly. Knowing the poor husky doesn't have much longer, the she-wolf sets the plate down in one of the back corners of the cave, and gets to work on Ryder's wounds.
Deciding to work on his underbelly first — since she has no idea how bad the injuries on his underbelly are — the she-wolf carefully rolls Ryder onto his back. Upon seeing his underbelly, she is horrified. He does not have as many scratches and cuts there, and there is not nearly as much blood now since the snow (and her fur) absorbed most of it. However, she takes notice of two injuries: the very bad bite on his neck, and the giant two-paw scratch going down his underbelly. "Oh, you poor thing," the she-wolf breathes. She is unsettled just thinking about how painful the giant scratch on his underbelly must have been. She then remembers the single-paw clawmark on his back, as well, and the injury on his neck, then it all hits her. These three wounds are Ryder's worst injuries by far, and they were all inflicted by a canine. This horrifies and disgusts the she-wolf, the fact that a canine could do something so cruel and painful as this to another canine. On top of that, the more she thinks about it, the more she realizes that this canine is also likely the reason this poor husky fell down the mountain, too. Thinking about how all of these things could have been done by one canine makes the she-wolf feel very uncomfortable, but she's still curious to hear the full story. She can only hope that her 'patient' is willing to share it with her.
[The next day | January 11, 1921]
Once again, Ryder begins to stir awake. As he comes to, his coldness and pain become more prominent, and he once again recalls everything that has happened to him recently. This time, however, his pain is a little better, but his coldness is way worse. He is already shivering fiercely, which only gets worse when his senses finally detect the cold, solid surface below him. He groans lightly, and he opens his eyes, only for them to automatically close a few seconds later. From what he could gather, it seems he is in a small cave, and that the snowstorm outside has not let up at all. It also appears to be daytime, likely the next day from when he last passed out; but with the snowstorm still raging and him repeatedly passing out, it is hard to tell. All of a sudden, out of the lonely silence, a beautiful, soft female voice says, “Hey, wake up.”
Awestruck by this beautiful voice, Ryder opens his eyes again, and this time they stay open. Upon doing so, he is able to confirm what he believes he had seen the last time he opened his eyes. And finally, the source of the voice comes walking around him from behind, and sits down to his diagonal-right. “You,” Ryder says to the she-wolf, surprised and in awe. He just now remembers asking her for help, but … he is surprised that she really did. “You’re finally awake,” she says. Upon hearing her voice, Ryder goes blank and silent. “... Are you okay?” the she-wolf asks, confused and slight-concerned by his extended silence. “... Wow,” Ryder finally muters. “Wow what?” The she-wolf asks, still confused, but also curious. “Umm, n-nothing,” Ryder says awkwardly, blushing slightly. “Really, ‘cause last time I checked, you were staring at me and said, ‘Wow.’ After saving your life, you could at least tell me why you said that,” the she-wolf says eagerly, but not rudely or disrespectfully.
Blushing harder, Ryder hesitates, then says, “Well, uhh, it’s just … you, and your voice.” “Go on,” the she-wolf urges, a small smile on her face. “You … you look so beautiful, and your voice sounds just as beautiful. I can’t quite explain it, but I feel at ease every time I hear it. In fact, your entire presence is that way. I hear your voice, and …” Ryder says, stopping himself out of his awkwardness. “And what?” the she-wolf asks. She is smiling strongly, but shyly, and a slight blush can be seen on her face. “It’s … it’s like a soothing melody, a calming song that came from Heaven itself,” Ryder finally finishes. “Well, um, thank you,” the she-wolf says with flattery. She is smiling strongly and blushing deeply, and is slightly avoiding Ryder’s gaze.
Ryder lays his ears back. “I’m sorry, I know that was weird,” he apologizes. “No, I didn’t mind. I rather liked it,” the she-wolf reassures. Despite her reassurance, Ryder still feels a bit funny around her. He is not sure if it is because he gave her such strong compliments only a few seconds after meeting her, because she selflessly healed and cared for him with no reason to do so, or because of something entirely different. “So, uh, you did a good job healing me. It hurts a lot less than it did yesterday. At least, I think it was yesterday. I was only asleep for a day, right?” Ryder says and asks awkwardly. The she-wolf smiles, and says, “Yes, that was yesterday.” “Um, when will I be able to go home?” Ryder asks, trying to invoke conversation to prevent more awkward silence, thus awkward conversations. “That depends,” she answers simply. “Depends on what?” Ryder asks, this time legitimately. “It depends on a lot of things. How well your scars heal, how well your entire body recovers, how much pain you can bear, even how strong the snowstorm is,” the she-wolf explains. “Well, in that case I’ll be ready to go in a few hours,” Ryder jokes with a confident voice, earning a small laugh from the she-wolf.
“Who are you, anyway?” Ryder asks. “My name is Aniu,” Aniu responds. “A … Aniu, you said?” Ryder asks in shock. “Yes, what about it?” Aniu asks. “W-were your parents’ names Xavier and Myra?” Ryder asks. “Yes. Why, do you know them?” Aniu asks excitedly. “I go by Ryder now, but Aniu, it’s me, Dash,” Ryder says. As soon as Ryder says this, Aniu’s face lights up with excitement. “No way, what a coincidence!” Aniu says excitedly. “Yeah,” Ryder says, failing to hide his troubled expression. Taking notice of this, Aniu frowns, then asks, “You don’t seem too excited. Is something wrong?” “N-no, nothing’s wrong,” Ryder lies terribly. There is definitely something wrong, but he’s spilled his guts to Aniu once already, which is enough for him. Aniu, obviously, does not buy Ryder’s lie. “You’re a terrible liar, you know that? If you don’t want to see me, I won’t be mad at you,” she says. “NO!” Ryder quickly says, laying his ears back awkwardly after realizing what he did. “No, please don’t leave,” he says calmly. He sighs, then says, “It’s just … you were the first friend I ever had, and I haven’t seen you since that first time we met. Because of that, I just … I feel uncomfortable spilling my guts in front of you.” Aniu smiles warmly, then says, “Let me tell you something, Ryder, and please, do not ever forget this. You do not have to ever feel uncomfortable spilling your guts to me. I will always listen, and I will never judge.” Ryder smiles, finally at ease with Aniu.
“Going off of that, do you want to talk about what happened to you?” Aniu suggests. Ryder remains silent for a few seconds, mentally preparing himself to empty the entire contents of his soul. “... I don’t like admitting this, but … I’m very lonely. In my town, there are only a few dogs who hate me, but I don’t have any real friends to counteract that. I only have one friend, and he lives far away from me. So instead of surrounding myself in friendship and love on a daily basis, I involuntarily surround myself in hatred every day. When you live your life like that, it takes a toll on you,” Ryder says, his voice beginning to break. Aniu listens carefully, taking in every word Ryder says. “When … when I was falling off the cliff, and my life flashed before my eyes, you know what I saw? Nothing … important! All I saw was the pain of my life, and how useless of a being I have been my entire life!” Ryder says, his voice breaking more severely. Despite how much he hides it, Aniu can tell that Ryder is on the verge of tears. “You must have done something with your life. No one does nothing,” she says, trying her hardest to make Ryder feel better. “Well, I hate to break it to you, but that’s not true,” Ryder says, his voice no longer breaking, apparently. “Try to think. What have you done in your life that you enjoyed?” Aniu asks. Ryder thinks for a second. “Well, I am a sled dog, I guess,” he responds, doubt clear as day in his voice. “See, that’s something. As far as I know, sled racing is a pretty important thing. It entertains a lot of people, and you get to do something you like,” Aniu explains to him. “Yeah, I guess. But it’s always the lead dogs that get all of the glory. And my lead dog, that no good, self-praising, son of a BI*** is the very bane of my existence!” Ryder yells, tears starting to flow from his eyes.
Aniu begins to put two and two together, so she asks, “Is your lead dog the one that attacked you and made you fall down the mountain?” While staring at the ground, Ryder does a small nod, then with a heavily breaking voice, he says, “If only I could describe the pain. His claws scraping across my chest felt like a million wildfires ... AND HE WAS ENJOYING IT! He was wearing a face of joy the entire time, and the rest of my teammates were simply watching as they were frozen with fear! It was …” Ryder pauses himself, then does a shaky breath. “On top of that,” he starts, his voice cracking heavily, “we live together. We used to be the closest friends, until I threatened his spot as number one runner. He’s …” Ryder starts, having to pause to do another shaky breath. “He’s also the reason I don’t have any friends. He’s … everyone’s too afraid of him,” Ryder says, tears pouring from his eyes, and his voice very heavy.
Just by looking at him, Aniu can tell how much Ryder is struggling to keep himself together, and it breaks her heart. “Ryder, you’re fighting yourself too much. If you need to let it all out, let it all out. You can cry around me, I will not judge,” Aniu tells Ryder. What Ryder does next surprises Aniu, even after what she just said to him. Ryder doesn’t just cry, he completely breaks down into a full sob. “I … I-I just need something good in my life! Something that will always be there whenever I need it, and something that always comforts me and brings me joy!” Ryder exclaims, completely opening the doors of his soul and mind to Aniu. As the she-wolf watches Ryder, the emotion she feels for him cannot be described in just a few words. While she thinks about what to do, Ryder slightly curls up, facing away from Aniu. After seeing this, Aniu realizes what she should do. What she does next completely shocks Ryder. Lying down behind Ryder, Aniu uses her size accordingly, and comfortingly curls herself around him as best as she can. “You’re so cold!” she exclaims, shocked that he is so cold without having told her. To better warm him up, Aniu repositions herself so that her head is lying over Ryder’s neck, and her tail is lying over the back half of his body. Ryder continues to cry, but not nearly as bad as before. Aniu’s warmth and softness is very soothing to him, enough so that he can physically and psychologically relax despite his physical and psychological pain.
“Is that better?” Aniu asks quietly. “Much better,” Ryder responds softly, the feeling to cry entirely depleted. His tail starts to flap and hit the ground happily, as if it has a mind of its own. “I could fall asleep right now,” he says. Coincidentally, he lets loose a big yawn, earning a chuckle from Aniu. “If you need to sleep, then sleep. I want what’s absolutely best for you,” she tells him. After another big yawn, Ryder asks, “Aniu, why do you care so much?” Aniu thinks for a second, then says, “Why not? You clearly deserve it, so I ended up being the one to give it to you.” “Whatever you say,” Ryder responds, likely having not entirely processed her answer due to his extreme drowsiness. After another big yawn, Ryder says, “Goodnight … angel,” before shutting his eyes and entering his dreams. Aniu smiles, and does an airy chuckle. “Sleep well, pup,” she says before closing her own eyes to go to sleep, herself.
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Balto: Pain of the Past
Chapter One
A Stranger’s Pain is My Pain
[A few years later | January 9, 1921]
As a heavy snowstorm races throughout the Alaskan wilderness, so too does a dogsled team. There is a single lead-dog in the front, two swing-dogs behind, two rows of two team-dogs next, and two wheel-dogs in the back. The only team member not in their proper placement is the musher, who is lying down on the front of the sled rather than standing on the end where mushers do. Many cuts and bruises can be seen where his skin shows, and his clothing is dirty and torn. The cause is unknown, but the result is straightforward: he is dead. In the front of the sled, the lead-dog is none other than Talon, himself. More so, in the very back, the wheel-dog on the right just so happens to be Ryder. Both Talon and Ryder have become quite muscular, and Talon quite large for his breed. Other than that, there is one crucial difference between the two dogs. As they all run, Ryder continually wears a face of worry. The cause behind his concern is Talon, who is smiling cockily as he forces the team past its limits. "Talon!" Ryder yells for Talon to hear. Talon does hear him, but ignores him. "Talon, we need to stop!" Ryder yells again. In response, Talon quickly yanks forward, hinting that they are not stopping. "He's going to get us killed," Ryder thinks. He dives into his thoughts, trying to figure out what he should do, if he can even do anything. There is only one thing he can think of, but he fears the consequences that may follow. After another yank forward from Talon, however, Ryder realizes Talon is leaving him, and quite frankly, everyone else no other choice.
Mentally preparing himself, Ryder takes a deep breath, and yells, “STOP!” He drags his paws in the snow, forcing the team to stop, some of them tripping and falling. They all glance over to him as he is already crawling out of his harness. As Ryder approaches Talon, Talon yells, “What in blue blazes are you doing, Ryder? "Talon, you and I both know that you have gotten us lost! We have been out here for days, the snowstorm is getting worse, and our musher is dead! If we don't find our way to a town, or at least a proper shelter, we won't make it at all." Now Talon crawls out of his harness, and gets face-to-face with Ryder. "Are you challenging me?" he threatens. Smugly, Ryder responds, "Well, it's more of a threat than a challenge, but sure. Either way, I’ll do whatever I have to do. If you don’t get your head out of the snow, we’re all going to die out here.” The rest of the dogs whisper among themselves, starting to agree with Ryder. Talon looks around frantically, beyond infuriated that his own team is doubting him, especially over such an obvious low-life as Ryder. "You've got a lot of nerve talking to your leader like that," Talon threatens. "Some leader you are, that's for damn sure! At least I have more nerve than you do, or else we'd totally be screwed." “SHUT UP!” Talon yells, swinging his claws at Ryder, just barely scratching Ryder’s muzzle as he dodges.
As Ryder steps back after dodging, he stands and stares at Talon, as does the rest of the team. “Y-you’re crazy!” Ryder says, still slightly shocked. As Talon is about to say something, Ryder interrupts him, saying, “Talon, look at yourself! You are no leader acting like this. If you won’t stop your pride from killing us all, then I will. I think it’s time I take charge, at least until we get back home.” Hearing that, Talon’s eyes flare with bloody rage. The other dogs quickly back up; even Ryder is caught off guard. "This is my race, Ryder! You will not ruin it!" Talon screams. As if out of nowhere, Talon attacks Ryder. The agouti husky is quick-reacting, countering Talon by tossing him aside. He does not want to hurt Talon any more than he has to. “Enough, Talon!” Ryder pleads. Surprisingly, Talon stops attacking. “Yeah … you’re right. I have had enough of you,” he says. Catching Ryder off guard, Talon launches at Ryder, latching his teeth onto the underside of Ryder’s neck with all of his strength. He slams Ryder to the ground, and pins him while choking him with his front paws. In a choking, raspy voice, Ryder says, "We just need to get home. Hurting me … will hurt the team." Talon smiles maliciously. After an eerie silence, Talon slowly shakes his head, and says, “No. The team doesn’t need you. No one does, or ever will.”
Fast like lightning, Talon rakes his claws along Ryder’s chest, inflicting excruciating pain upon the poor husky. As Ryder yells in pain, the other dogs stand and watch, frozen with fear, and too powerless and afraid to do anything. With a whiplash-like shove, Talon flips Ryder over, and slowly rakes the claws of his right fore paw along Ryder’s back down at an angle. Ryder screams out again, mentally begging Talon to ease up and consider the team for once. Talon bites the back of Ryder’s neck, and squeezes, spilling a lot of blood. He then picks Ryder up, and drags him over to the steep and very, very large mountain hill next to the path they’re on. "You like the snow, don't you?" Talon asks rhetorically. Ryder looks back at Talon, terror consuming his eyes. "How 'bout a little color to it? How about ... red." Talon says maliciously. With a large swish, Talon throws Ryder over the edge, and watches him fall, land, and tumble down the mountain they are currently standing upon. He turns back to the team, who all immediately, out of fear, perk up in a soldier-like fashion. "Okay, here is what we'll do," Talon starts to say.
As Ryder descends down the mountain, falling and sliding uncontrollably, he frantically struggles to regain control. Unfortunately, his struggles are in vain. He yells in his efforts, in pain from painful impacts, and in deathly fear. The branches and rocks he tumbles over give him cuts and scratches all over his body, meanwhile worsening his cuts and scratches already inflicted by Talon. Even through all of the spinning and tumbling Ryder is doing, he catches a small glimpse of a ledge. He panics, and violently struggles to stop, but he continues to slide, and he falls over the ledge. Luckily enough, the ledge isn’t even six feet high, but there is a patch of solid ice on the ground below. Ryder lands on the ice hard, and hits his head even harder, nearly being knocked out in the process. However, his rough impact also slows his descent down the mountain. As he continues to slide, his fear for his life grows stronger. He has become too weak and hurt to move, let alone use enough force to stop his descent. He is too exhausted to even express his own fear. All factors considered give him very little hope and a lot to hope for. But even still, despite those odds, he does hope. He closes his eyes, having accepted his likely fate, but also keeping that small spark of hope held deep in his heart.
As Ryder drifts along the snow, he slowly rotates, and ends up sliding head first. He opens his eyes, and his hope goes right over a cliff; literally. Fueled by adrenaline and fear, he uses what little strength he has to dig his claws and paws into the snow, desperate to stop. He does slow down a good bit, but it is not enough. He flips over the ledge, and yells in terror as he descends down the cliff. As he descends, his life flashes before his eyes. But, the only things he sees are bad memories, each one making him feel worse and worse about both himself and his situation. It is as if Mother Nature herself has a strong and passionate hate for him. As Ryder comes back to reality, he mutters to himself, "I've done nothing with my ... ." He is not even able to finish before he impacts with something white, but it is not snow. It is a she-wolf; a large, beautiful Arctic she-wolf with fur as white as the snow and fire-yellow eyes that burn with the utmost beauty. When Ryder impacts her, the greatest pain he has ever felt flares all throughout his body. However, his collision with her also slows his descent, perhaps saving his life. Both Ryder and the she-wolf fall to the ground, both of them hurting at least physically.
[The next day | January 10, 1921]
Ryder wakes up … somewhere. He doesn’t immediately wake up, he starts off by beginning to stir. The first thing he knows is that he is lying on his side. Shortly after, simultaneously, he feels his coldness and pain. After that, more pain, and more, and more. All of a sudden, Ryder jolts awake, and his eyes pop open. He loudly and painfully groans; his entire body is on fire, and all of his muscles are extremely sore. He is covered in blood, too; so much blood that more of it than fur is visible. The snow below him is also drenched in his blood. Saying that he is unsettled to see so much of his blood on the ground is an extreme understatement. He begins to shiver violently and breathe rapidly, both of which only make his body ache more. Then finally, Ryder recalls everything that has happened to him, up to when he fell off the cliff. After taking a moment to gather himself and his thoughts, Ryder slowly and shakily lifts himself up until he is standing. Immediately, due to his excessive pain, he sits down. He then looks around the area, and up at the cliff he fell down. Given how high it is, he is surprised he even survived. He then recalls the moment before he was knocked out: he collided with something. He looks around again, until just behind and next to him, he sees a peculiar-looking lump in the snow. He painfully shifts his body to see it better, and upon further examination, he realizes that it is not snow, but fur. It is the she-wolf from before, the one he (unknowingly) collided with. Seeing her there, lying like that, Ryder presumes that she is what, or in this case, whom he collided with. With this knowledge, he is filled with guilt. The impact could have easily killed her. In fact, the only reason he is sure she isn’t dead is the steady rise and fall of her body as she breathes.
“Okay, she’s fine. I can leave,” Ryder thinks, at peace knowing that neither he nor the she-wolf died. He stands up, then he falls. He had momentarily forgotten the condition his body is in. Taking more care this time, he slowly and shakily stands up. He is still extremely sore, and his entire body is still on fire, but he manages to stand and gain his balance. He begins to walk away, but he stops. Not because of his pain, but something else. He looks back at the she-wolf. She is breathing a bit slowly, and one of her paws looks pretty messed up. “Don’t do it, Ryder,” he whispers to himself while looking away. “Come on, don’t do it, don’t do it, it’s a freaking wolf! She can survive on her own, you need to do the same!” He squeezes his eyes shut, then opens them and looks at the she-wolf again. Everything he has ever learned tells him to run away, but a strong, old, internal instinct prevents him from doing so. He cannot pinpoint what it is, and then he remembers. “Most wolves aren’t mean to humans and dogs, and they never want to be. They will only be mean if someone else is mean to them first,” Ryder remembers Xavier telling him.
Ryder sighs heavily, then to himself, he mutters, “Worth a shot.” A bit reluctantly, Ryder approaches the unconscious she-wolf. Close up, he notices she is larger than most wolves, and rather … attractive. He mentally kicks himself for his thoughts, and looks around the area once more. Through the snowstorm, it is extremely difficult to see anything except white. After a thorough scan, he finally catches sight of something not too far away: a cave. “Oh, thank you Mother Nature!” he says. With all of his strength from past sled racing and training, he is able to resist his agony and exhaustion enough to slowly drag the she-wolf by the scruff toward the cave. This is a very slow and painful process, but he feels obligated to help since he is the reason she is hurt. After about a minute, Ryder lets go of the she-wolf’s scruff, too exhausted to go any further. He looks toward the cave, and almost cries out in anger and pain seeing that it’s still a good distance away. He feels as if he hasn’t even gone anywhere. After waiting another second to regain some of his energy, he reaches down and grabs the she-wolf’s scruff, and continues to drag her across the snow toward the cave.
Due to his positioning, as well as his fatigue, Ryder does not notice the she-wolf begin to stir awake. The first thing that comes to the she-wolf’s attention is that she is being dragged. Shortly after, she realizes that whatever is dragging her is pulling her by the scruff, with their teeth. She immediately kicks into survival mode, rising up like a whale and spinning, tossing Ryder to the ground. Of course, due to his condition, Ryder groans painfully as he lands on the ground. When the she-wolf steps down on her left fore paw, the sprained one, she quickly pulls it back up, but she doesn’t change her posture or appearance. “What are you doing, mutt? Get out of here!” she commands. As Ryder slowly and painfully stands up, he groans loudly again. “I … I’m sorry … I was,” he tries to say, but fails to speak properly between his heavy breaths. He is breathing very heavily, yet very slowly, having some trouble breathing. He loses his balance for a moment, but not so much that he falls over. “Was trying to … help,” Ryder says airily. He can feel all of his strength and energy deplete while his pain grows, and he starts to get extremely dizzy. He tries to take a step, but his legs give, and he collapses to the ground. His slow and heavy breathing softens, but also slows down a little more. He tries to lift himself up, and partially succeeds, but he falls back to the ground, landing on the opposite side than he did after falling off the cliff. Ryder groans in pain again, but not as severely. After that, he opens his eyes, and sees the she-wolf standing above him. As the two of them lock eyes for a second, the she-wolf is surprised, confused, and emotionally-pained. Despite being a bloody, nearly-motionless dog in the presence of a she-wolf, Ryder does not show a hint of fear. In his eyes, all the she-wolf sees is pain and desperation. “Please … help me,” Ryder says quietly. After that, he loses all of his strength, and he passes out.
The she-wolf stands there, completely awestruck by what just happened. He must truly be suffering to stare a wolf in the eyes and ask them for help. She wonders how he ended up with so many injuries, and how he even survived it. "I will help you, then," she says. Her voice is surprisingly soft, as if the wind itself is her voice. She walks over to Ryder's side, and very carefully, she rolls him onto his stomach. Since both of his sides have been in contact with the snow, a good amount of the blood is in the snow rather than on his back, meaning that the she-wolf can get a decent examination of his wounds. As she examines them, none of them look good, then she takes notice of his neck. There is still a good bit of blood on it since it does not touch the ground entirely, but the she-wolf understands that there being so much blood there means there must be a bad injury to his neck, likely a bite. When she looks back at his back, she finally takes notice of the long clawmark inflicted by Talon, the one going across Ryder’s back at an angle. Of course, the she-wolf does not know the identity of Ryder or his attacker, but she can clearly-tell a canine had something to do with it.
"Who did this to you?" she whisper-asks with pity. Deciding to not wait any longer, the she-wolf carefully slides her snout under Ryder's stomach, and slightly lifts him up. Taking extreme care with his wounds, she slides her head and neck under Ryder's belly, and successfully lifts him onto her back. She can feel some of his blood seep into her fur, but she is not worried about that right now. With Ryder secure enough on her back, the she-wolf takes off into the forest in a light run. She could go faster, but she does not want to cause the nearly-dead husky on her back any more stress than he has already been through. After about ten minutes of running, the she-wolf finally comes across what she was looking for: a den. The cave Ryder had been dragging her toward was too risky, because it had a recent scent of bear in it. The new den the she-wolf found is a very small cave embedded into the side of a small hill. The cave is barely big enough for a bear, the perfect size for the two of them. She walks in, crouches down, and sets Ryder down as carefully as she can. However, it is not careful enough. As Ryder lightly flops onto the floor, a small whine escapes his throat. "Oh, I'm sorry," the she-wolf softly says with remorse and guilt.
Now that her first goal is complete, all the she-wolf has to do is heal Ryder. "I need the stuff so I can heal you, I'll be back shortly," the she-wolf says before running back into the storm, immediately disappearing due to its thickness and the whiteness of her fur. She is not sure if he is conscious enough to hear her, so she told him in case he could. After about an hour and a half, the she-wolf finally returns to the cave. She is carrying a large plate of wood that is completely filled with various Winter plants, herbs, and even berries she managed to find. Right now, the time of day is around dusk, but the area is considerably darker than usual due to the thickness of the storm. Despite the darkness, the she-wolf can see clearly with her evolved, wolf eyes. Ryder is still lying in his spot, and is still breathing, but he is only breathing lightly. Knowing the poor husky doesn't have much longer, the she-wolf sets the plate down in one of the back corners of the cave, and gets to work on Ryder's wounds.
Deciding to work on his underbelly first — since she has no idea how bad the injuries on his underbelly are — the she-wolf carefully rolls Ryder onto his back. Upon seeing his underbelly, she is horrified. He does not have as many scratches and cuts there, and there is not nearly as much blood now since the snow (and her fur) absorbed most of it. However, she takes notice of two injuries: the very bad bite on his neck, and the giant two-paw scratch going down his underbelly. "Oh, you poor thing," the she-wolf breathes. She is unsettled just thinking about how painful the giant scratch on his underbelly must have been. She then remembers the single-paw clawmark on his back, as well, and the injury on his neck, then it all hits her. These three wounds are Ryder's worst injuries by far, and they were all inflicted by a canine. This horrifies and disgusts the she-wolf, the fact that a canine could do something so cruel and painful as this to another canine. On top of that, the more she thinks about it, the more she realizes that this canine is also likely the reason this poor husky fell down the mountain, too. Thinking about how all of these things could have been done by one canine makes the she-wolf feel very uncomfortable, but she's still curious to hear the full story. She can only hope that her 'patient' is willing to share it with her.
[The next day | January 11, 1921]
Once again, Ryder begins to stir awake. As he comes to, his coldness and pain become more prominent, and he once again recalls everything that has happened to him recently. This time, however, his pain is a little better, but his coldness is way worse. He is already shivering fiercely, which only gets worse when his senses finally detect the cold, solid surface below him. He groans lightly, and he opens his eyes, only for them to automatically close a few seconds later. From what he could gather, it seems he is in a small cave, and that the snowstorm outside has not let up at all. It also appears to be daytime, likely the next day from when he last passed out; but with the snowstorm still raging and him repeatedly passing out, it is hard to tell. All of a sudden, out of the lonely silence, a beautiful, soft female voice says, “Hey, wake up.”
Awestruck by this beautiful voice, Ryder opens his eyes again, and this time they stay open. Upon doing so, he is able to confirm what he believes he had seen the last time he opened his eyes. And finally, the source of the voice comes walking around him from behind, and sits down to his diagonal-right. “You,” Ryder says to the she-wolf, surprised and in awe. He just now remembers asking her for help, but … he is surprised that she really did. “You’re finally awake,” she says. Upon hearing her voice, Ryder goes blank and silent. “... Are you okay?” the she-wolf asks, confused and slight-concerned by his extended silence. “... Wow,” Ryder finally muters. “Wow what?” The she-wolf asks, still confused, but also curious. “Umm, n-nothing,” Ryder says awkwardly, blushing slightly. “Really, ‘cause last time I checked, you were staring at me and said, ‘Wow.’ After saving your life, you could at least tell me why you said that,” the she-wolf says eagerly, but not rudely or disrespectfully.
Blushing harder, Ryder hesitates, then says, “Well, uhh, it’s just … you, and your voice.” “Go on,” the she-wolf urges, a small smile on her face. “You … you look so beautiful, and your voice sounds just as beautiful. I can’t quite explain it, but I feel at ease every time I hear it. In fact, your entire presence is that way. I hear your voice, and …” Ryder says, stopping himself out of his awkwardness. “And what?” the she-wolf asks. She is smiling strongly, but shyly, and a slight blush can be seen on her face. “It’s … it’s like a soothing melody, a calming song that came from Heaven itself,” Ryder finally finishes. “Well, um, thank you,” the she-wolf says with flattery. She is smiling strongly and blushing deeply, and is slightly avoiding Ryder’s gaze.
Ryder lays his ears back. “I’m sorry, I know that was weird,” he apologizes. “No, I didn’t mind. I rather liked it,” the she-wolf reassures. Despite her reassurance, Ryder still feels a bit funny around her. He is not sure if it is because he gave her such strong compliments only a few seconds after meeting her, because she selflessly healed and cared for him with no reason to do so, or because of something entirely different. “So, uh, you did a good job healing me. It hurts a lot less than it did yesterday. At least, I think it was yesterday. I was only asleep for a day, right?” Ryder says and asks awkwardly. The she-wolf smiles, and says, “Yes, that was yesterday.” “Um, when will I be able to go home?” Ryder asks, trying to invoke conversation to prevent more awkward silence, thus awkward conversations. “That depends,” she answers simply. “Depends on what?” Ryder asks, this time legitimately. “It depends on a lot of things. How well your scars heal, how well your entire body recovers, how much pain you can bear, even how strong the snowstorm is,” the she-wolf explains. “Well, in that case I’ll be ready to go in a few hours,” Ryder jokes with a confident voice, earning a small laugh from the she-wolf.
“Who are you, anyway?” Ryder asks. “My name is Aniu,” Aniu responds. “A … Aniu, you said?” Ryder asks in shock. “Yes, what about it?” Aniu asks. “W-were your parents’ names Xavier and Myra?” Ryder asks. “Yes. Why, do you know them?” Aniu asks excitedly. “I go by Ryder now, but Aniu, it’s me, Dash,” Ryder says. As soon as Ryder says this, Aniu’s face lights up with excitement. “No way, what a coincidence!” Aniu says excitedly. “Yeah,” Ryder says, failing to hide his troubled expression. Taking notice of this, Aniu frowns, then asks, “You don’t seem too excited. Is something wrong?” “N-no, nothing’s wrong,” Ryder lies terribly. There is definitely something wrong, but he’s spilled his guts to Aniu once already, which is enough for him. Aniu, obviously, does not buy Ryder’s lie. “You’re a terrible liar, you know that? If you don’t want to see me, I won’t be mad at you,” she says. “NO!” Ryder quickly says, laying his ears back awkwardly after realizing what he did. “No, please don’t leave,” he says calmly. He sighs, then says, “It’s just … you were the first friend I ever had, and I haven’t seen you since that first time we met. Because of that, I just … I feel uncomfortable spilling my guts in front of you.” Aniu smiles warmly, then says, “Let me tell you something, Ryder, and please, do not ever forget this. You do not have to ever feel uncomfortable spilling your guts to me. I will always listen, and I will never judge.” Ryder smiles, finally at ease with Aniu.
“Going off of that, do you want to talk about what happened to you?” Aniu suggests. Ryder remains silent for a few seconds, mentally preparing himself to empty the entire contents of his soul. “... I don’t like admitting this, but … I’m very lonely. In my town, there are only a few dogs who hate me, but I don’t have any real friends to counteract that. I only have one friend, and he lives far away from me. So instead of surrounding myself in friendship and love on a daily basis, I involuntarily surround myself in hatred every day. When you live your life like that, it takes a toll on you,” Ryder says, his voice beginning to break. Aniu listens carefully, taking in every word Ryder says. “When … when I was falling off the cliff, and my life flashed before my eyes, you know what I saw? Nothing … important! All I saw was the pain of my life, and how useless of a being I have been my entire life!” Ryder says, his voice breaking more severely. Despite how much he hides it, Aniu can tell that Ryder is on the verge of tears. “You must have done something with your life. No one does nothing,” she says, trying her hardest to make Ryder feel better. “Well, I hate to break it to you, but that’s not true,” Ryder says, his voice no longer breaking, apparently. “Try to think. What have you done in your life that you enjoyed?” Aniu asks. Ryder thinks for a second. “Well, I am a sled dog, I guess,” he responds, doubt clear as day in his voice. “See, that’s something. As far as I know, sled racing is a pretty important thing. It entertains a lot of people, and you get to do something you like,” Aniu explains to him. “Yeah, I guess. But it’s always the lead dogs that get all of the glory. And my lead dog, that no good, self-praising, son of a BI*** is the very bane of my existence!” Ryder yells, tears starting to flow from his eyes.
Aniu begins to put two and two together, so she asks, “Is your lead dog the one that attacked you and made you fall down the mountain?” While staring at the ground, Ryder does a small nod, then with a heavily breaking voice, he says, “If only I could describe the pain. His claws scraping across my chest felt like a million wildfires ... AND HE WAS ENJOYING IT! He was wearing a face of joy the entire time, and the rest of my teammates were simply watching as they were frozen with fear! It was …” Ryder pauses himself, then does a shaky breath. “On top of that,” he starts, his voice cracking heavily, “we live together. We used to be the closest friends, until I threatened his spot as number one runner. He’s …” Ryder starts, having to pause to do another shaky breath. “He’s also the reason I don’t have any friends. He’s … everyone’s too afraid of him,” Ryder says, tears pouring from his eyes, and his voice very heavy.
Just by looking at him, Aniu can tell how much Ryder is struggling to keep himself together, and it breaks her heart. “Ryder, you’re fighting yourself too much. If you need to let it all out, let it all out. You can cry around me, I will not judge,” Aniu tells Ryder. What Ryder does next surprises Aniu, even after what she just said to him. Ryder doesn’t just cry, he completely breaks down into a full sob. “I … I-I just need something good in my life! Something that will always be there whenever I need it, and something that always comforts me and brings me joy!” Ryder exclaims, completely opening the doors of his soul and mind to Aniu. As the she-wolf watches Ryder, the emotion she feels for him cannot be described in just a few words. While she thinks about what to do, Ryder slightly curls up, facing away from Aniu. After seeing this, Aniu realizes what she should do. What she does next completely shocks Ryder. Lying down behind Ryder, Aniu uses her size accordingly, and comfortingly curls herself around him as best as she can. “You’re so cold!” she exclaims, shocked that he is so cold without having told her. To better warm him up, Aniu repositions herself so that her head is lying over Ryder’s neck, and her tail is lying over the back half of his body. Ryder continues to cry, but not nearly as bad as before. Aniu’s warmth and softness is very soothing to him, enough so that he can physically and psychologically relax despite his physical and psychological pain.
“Is that better?” Aniu asks quietly. “Much better,” Ryder responds softly, the feeling to cry entirely depleted. His tail starts to flap and hit the ground happily, as if it has a mind of its own. “I could fall asleep right now,” he says. Coincidentally, he lets loose a big yawn, earning a chuckle from Aniu. “If you need to sleep, then sleep. I want what’s absolutely best for you,” she tells him. After another big yawn, Ryder asks, “Aniu, why do you care so much?” Aniu thinks for a second, then says, “Why not? You clearly deserve it, so I ended up being the one to give it to you.” “Whatever you say,” Ryder responds, likely having not entirely processed her answer due to his extreme drowsiness. After another big yawn, Ryder says, “Goodnight … angel,” before shutting his eyes and entering his dreams. Aniu smiles, and does an airy chuckle. “Sleep well, pup,” she says before closing her own eyes to go to sleep, herself.
The story of Balto and the Serum Run is legendary, but it has not been told to the fullest. In this story, you will learn the beautiful, yet tragic story of Balto's parents; the fate of Balto's entire family; the events of Balto's painful life in Nome; and how years of past-events fit in to make Balto's most famous story, the Serum Run, much more than just a great triumph.
Wow! I can't believe I got this done! I was really racing against time to get this done today, because today is my birthday! Yup, I am finally 17 years old! On top of that, two years ago today, I began to post a story on the internet for the first time ever, and that story was none other than the original version of this story. So you can understand why posting the first chapter of this story today is so special. I really hope you have enjoyed this story as much as I have!
You can find this story, as well as other future fan fiction stories, on my fanfiction.net account HERE.
<< PREV > < NEXT >>
If any of you are wondering, I have not given up on my "Never Fear" series. I am working on Part Three now, and am HOPING to get it completed in the next few weeks.
Wow! I can't believe I got this done! I was really racing against time to get this done today, because today is my birthday! Yup, I am finally 17 years old! On top of that, two years ago today, I began to post a story on the internet for the first time ever, and that story was none other than the original version of this story. So you can understand why posting the first chapter of this story today is so special. I really hope you have enjoyed this story as much as I have!
You can find this story, as well as other future fan fiction stories, on my fanfiction.net account HERE.
<< PREV > < NEXT >>
If any of you are wondering, I have not given up on my "Never Fear" series. I am working on Part Three now, and am HOPING to get it completed in the next few weeks.
Category Story / Animal related (non-anthro)
Species Canine (Other)
Gender Multiple characters
Size 120 x 120px
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