Glacier’s Journey

Her graceful paws flew across the snow. Her lungs took in the crisp air, and she surged on. She was Glacier, a light-gray-and-white husky with ice-blue eyes, the lead dog of her sled team from Denali, Alaska. Her team was traveling to Kaktovik to help the people there recover from a huge snowstorm. The team had been running for several days. Their sled carried food and blankets.

Frost, the keen-eyed, white-furred malamute, spotted something up ahead. “Hey,” she said. “Over there! It’s a big wall of ice. How will we get past it?”

“Maybe we could jump it!” Snowflake, an enthusiastic Samoyed, suggested.

“I think it’s a bit too tall for jumping,” Blizzard, the chinook, answered, “and how would we get the sled over?”

“Perhaps we can dig a hole big enough for the sled to go under,” Holly, a green-eyed husky, said.

“That would take too long,” Glacier said. “It’s getting dark. Maybe we should go to sleep. Our minds will work better in the morning. We will think of an idea then.”

The rest of the team agreed, and they dug beds in the snow.

The dogs had slept for a few hours when a mysterious howl woke Glacier. She sat up sharply. What was it? She spotted gray-and-white bodies moving through the snow. Wolves! She prepared to warn the rest of the team. But then she noticed the sparkling stars on their pelts. Her ancestors’ spirits! Glacier had a special connection with these ancient wolves.

“We have come to help,” they said. “Howl with us and melt the wall.”

Glacier instructed the other dogs to howl. As they howled the ice wall began to melt, and soon enough it was gone. Yips and barks of cheer echoed through the team. They had done it!

Glacier thanked her ancestors’ spirits and decided to continue their journey to Kaktovik. The dogs got into position and started to run.

They were nearing Kaktovik when they started to hear shouts and cheers of joy. The team panted in relief. They had made it!