by Chris Kurtz
Flora faced forward. Step. Step. Pull. Pull. Pigs ... don’t ... give ... up.
Aleric came running. “Whoa, whoa, whoa!” He pulled back on the rope until the sled stopped. Then he knelt down and scratched Flora behind the ears. “This can’t be happening. You’re really pulling the sled—you and Oscar. ”
He took the rope off Flora’s neck, and she was afraid he was going to tell her to go away. But Instead he adjusted the loop, making it the right size for her. Then he rummaged in one of the food boxes until he came up with a soft cloth that he placed around the loop so that the rope wouldn’t bite into her skin above her coat.
“There we go, then, pig.” He patted her on the shoulder. “I guess the captain was right—it’s hard to know where brains and talent are going to come from. Let’s see if this can really work.”
Flora pulled all day. It was hard, but the sled no longer got stuck. She had little idea where she was going. But Oscar obviously knew. Even though he couldn’t pull very hard, he would growl and tug in certain directions to correct their course or snap at her shoulder to push her the other way.
Sophia ran up now and then to encourage Flora, but most of the time the cat stayed on the other side, keeping Oscar’s spirits up.
Flora was sad to see it wasn’t working. The dog’s head drooped further and further. His rope often went slack for long periods while he walked and heaved. Flora was afraid to talk to him, so she just kept pulling.
They stopped at the end of the day close to the giant chunks of ice that Flora remembered from their trip out. She barely had enough energy to eat before crawling into the tent to sleep. Her tired muscles ached. Her shoulders were sore where she had pulled against the rope. But she felt a glow of pride deep in her bones.
Sophia curled up next to Flora’s cheek and whispered, “You were amazing. We could never have made it without you.”
A little while later, Aleric came in carrying Oscar. He laid him down, crawled into his blanket, and blew out the candle. All was quiet when the dog got up and stumbled back outside.
“Where’s Oscar going?” whispered Flora.
“I guess he wants to sleep outside tonight,” Sophia mumbled.
Flora listened for his breathing or some sound that would tell her he was lying in the snow close by. There was nothing. Finally she dragged her aching body out of the warmth and into the night. Sophia didn’t stir.
The sled looked ready for their final push tommorrow. But Oscar was nowhere to be seen. Flora walked around the camp until she found what she was looking for.
A trail of dog prints led out into the white emptiness.
Flora swallowed hard—and then followed them. She didn’t hurry. She wasn’t worried about being able to catch Oscar. But she wasn’t looking forward to facing him. She didn’t know what he would do when he saw her.
Eventually, she spotted a dark shape in the moonlight.
Oscar turned his head when he heard her behind him. Flora quieted her heart. She was determined not to leave without him and prepared to fight back even if she had to face his teeth.
“Leave me alone,” he snarled when she walked up.
“Where are you going?”
“It doesn’t matter.” Oscar set out again. His tail dragged in the snow.
Flora kept in step beside him. She gathered her courage. “We need you back there.”
“You’re lying!” Oscar lunged at her and snapped his teeth next to her cheek.
Flora flinched, but she didn’t back away.
Oscar growled into her ear, “I don’t deserve to be called a sled dog any longer. It’s over for me.”
Oscar picked up the pace. Flora followed.
“Go back.” He didn’t turn to look at her. “You’re the only one now who can pull that sled to the main camp.”
“I’ve wanted to be a sled pig for a long time,” Flora said. “I’ve put in a lot of practice, and I’m glad I got the chance to prove myself. But it won’t do any good, because I can’t find my way home.”
“It’s easy,” Oscar answered. “You’ll be fine.”
“Easy for you. I get all confused in this snow. I can’t even walk in a straight line without getting turned around.”
“You’re just making excuses, pig. Aleric can find his way. He’s a smart kid.” Oscar kept walking. “I’m finished.”
Flora stepped in front and stopped him. She stared at him until he looked her in the eyes. “You’re not finished. You’re sick. You’re tired. You’re overworked. You’re not as young as you used to be, but you’re not finished.”
Oscar sank into the snow. “I was born and bred to be a sled dog. It’s all I’ve ever known. It’s all I was ever good for. And now I can’t outpull a pig.”
Flora took a deep breath. “At least you were born and bred to have a job. You know what I was born and bred for. Now I have a chance to live and to be really useful. But it doesn’t matter, because I can’t find my way, and you won’t help me. Where’s your team spirit?”
“My team left without me because I wasn’t strong enough!” Oscar snapped.
“You have a new team now,” said Flora. “We won’t leave without you. I won’t. Sophia won’t. Aleric won’t.”
Oscar blinked, and Flora recalled the first time she had seen him so long ago on the farm. It felt strange to be reminding a sled dog about team spirit, and it made her notice how different she was from the pig that left the farm in the back of a truck.
“Oscar, you’re a dog, and your first instincts will always be doglike. But in another way, you’re not like other dogs.” Flora stopped and watched his face, but she was thinking about her next words. She wanted to say it just right.
“You’re more than a dog, and I know this because of the way you’ve always looked out for me. Sophia’s a cat, but she has been changing. I didn’t tell you that she came back for me when I couldn’t go on.”
Flora lay down at Oscar’s side. “And then there’s me, and I’m pretty sure you’ve noticed that I try hard not to be too piglike. I think we’re all aiming to be something better than what everyone thinks we were born to be, and that makes us even more of a team. We have to stick together.”
Oscar had put his head on his paws. He wasn’t moving. He wasn’t even breathing, and his eyes had a glassy look.
“Oscar?” said Flora softly—and a chill suddenly went through her. “Oscar!” she shrieked, and jumped to her feet.
Oscar picked up his head and looked at her. “I’m right here. Why are you screaming?”
“Oh, Oscar, I thought you were ... gone,” Flora choked out. “Like, gone forever.”
“I’m not dead, you nut.” Oscar got to his feet and began to walk toward camp. “Come on. Let’s get back to the others and get some sleep. It’s going to be a long day tomorrow.”
“You changed your mind?” Flora could hardly believe it. She trotted up beside him.
“Yes, and I’ll change it again if you keep yakking. I’ve heard enough for one night,” he muttered. “Cat but not a cat. Pig but not a pig.” He snorted. “Dog but not a dog.”
“More than a dog,” Flora corrected.
They walked in silence until the tent came into view. Then Oscar stopped. “About this business of pulling sleds, listen up.”
Flora stopped too. Was he going to start fighting again?
“You’re doing it wrong, and you’re going to wear yourself out.”
Flora hadn’t noticed she was holding her breath, but she let it out now.
Oscar continued. “Keep your head down when you’re pulling. You’re not a goat or a fancy pony. That’s rule number two. Rule number one: If you want to be a good sled dog ... I mean puller ... you gotta get your sleep. I’ll teach you rules three through sixty-six tomorrow.”
“Yes, sir!” Flora answered.
They walked in silence again. Flora felt nervous, but she had to know something.
“I understand that I need my sleep, but can I ask just one question?”
“Rule number one: Nothing is more important than sleep.”
“Right. But I have a question that may be important.”
“Okay, what?”
“When we first met, you said that sled dogs go a little crazy. Does that happen at the end of the journey?”
Oscar stopped walking. “I didn’t say they go a little crazy. I said they have to be a little crazy to work this hard and enjoy it.”
“Oh.” Flora looked at Oscar. “Because I thought you meant they do a crazy little dance or something.”
Oscar stared at her as if a horn had suddenly sprouted from her forehead.
“Kind of a shimmy with some high-stepping at the end?” Flora summoned some energy and high-stepped her tired body across the snow to demonstrate.
Oscar shook his head as he started walking again. “I don’t know anything about that.”
“What about a dance at the end to celebrate...”
“Sled dogs don’t dance.”
“I’m a sled pig, ” Flora whispered. They were back at camp now, and she didn’t want to wake the others. “It might be different for me.”
Oscar sighed. “You just get up tomorrow ready to pull.” He nosed into the tent.
Flora looked up. The stars were extra bright tonight, and they shone and glimmered as if each one had something it wanted to say.
Oscar poked his head out. “You coming?”
Chapter 36
Oscar was so stiff the next morning, Aleric didn’t even bother hooking him up.
“Take it easy for a while till you get better, boy,” he said, and made a bed for the dog on top of the food boxes. “If I’d had any choice, I wouldn’t have worked you so hard.”
Flora placed herself at the front of the sled. She was sore, but she had slept well and could feel Oscar’s confidence cover her like a warm blanket.
“I might as well make a harness for you today, pig,” said Aleric. “It’ll be easier on your neck.”
She was thankful for this, especially when she saw Aleric struggling with the knots and blowing on his fingers to warm them up. When he was finished, the rope looped around her chest and between her front legs and up either side of her ribs. The whole arrangement fit over her coat, and once they were moving, helped make the pulling much easier.
“Hike!” shouted Aleric when everything was ready.
“Head down when you pull!” barked Oscar from his place on the sled. “Remember rule number two: Head down until you get up to speed. Let your shoulders do the work, not your neck.”
Flora smiled, put her head down, and pulled.
“Rule number three: Pace yourself. Don’t wear yourself out before you get where you’re going.”
Flora eased up a bit and turned her head. “I know someone who needs to practice that rule.”
“Rule number four: Do not turn around while you’re pulling. And rule number five: Do as I say, not as I do.”
From time to time Oscar barked out directions, and Flora would steer left or right to keep on course. Aleric pulled from the front or rolled the rope up and pushed from the back.
Just before nightfall, Flora heard Sophia give out a loud yowl. “I think I see something! Hey, Deputy, look up ahead!”
Flora broke into a trot the camp came into view.
Aleric hollered.
Far ahead, Flora saw two specks come limping out of the snow shelter.
They’d done it!
No one was going to die—not now, anyway.
Excitement and happiness bubbled inside her, and then she couldn’t help it. Tiredness and sore muscles dropped away as she reared up on her hind legs and hopped. She trotted a bit more and then kicked her back legs to one side, then the other. Behind her, Oscar started barking. “Dance and shimmy all you want, pig. You did it!”
Flora surged against the rope one last time. She jumped and twisted in a crazy little dance as the sled coasted in.
Chapter 37
Both the captain and the other sailor hobbled over to meet them and cheered. Aleric whooped some more. After a lot of shouting and smiling and back slapping, the food boxes were opened, and soon there was an aroma of soup made from something other than fish.
Over dinner, the captain wanted to know all about the trip. He didn’t seem angry in the least. Flora stayed close by his side as Aleric told the story. All eyes were on her when Aleric got to the place where Flora insisted on putting her shoulder to the rope. At the end, Aleric started to apologize for leaving without permission, but the captain held up his hand.
“I would have done the very same thing. It wasn’t my place to send a youngster out on a rescue mission alone. But it was courage and duty that made you ignore my order. And you’ll be welcome on my ship anytime.”
He reached down and scratched Flora between her ears.
Flora looked up, full of hope. Might she be welcome on his ship too?
Later that night, Flora checked in on Oscar. He was sound asleep on his bed. Someone had covered him with extra blankets, which he hadn’t kicked off this time. Flora snuggled in with Sophia under their blanket, and if not for the glow in her heart, she might have wondered if the sled-pulling adventure was just a dream.
The next three weeks were spent resting up. With bellies full each day, everyone’s spirits lifted. The sailor, who seemed completely recovered now, no longer looked at Flora with hungry eyes. The captain took a daily walk with a cane. He always called Flora to go with him.
Flora and Sophia kept a close eye on Oscar at first, but they didn’t need to. Aleric made it his fulltime job to look after the dog. The boy took him out of the shelter for fresh air two times a day but otherwise kept him inside and warm with extra blankets. When Oscar’s appetite came back, Aleric slipped him an extra helping each day. Slowly the dog’s health improved, and even the rattle in his throat disappeared.
One bright morning, it was time to say goodbye to the camp forever.
The two men loaded Aleric’s sled with all the blankets and food. The captain admired the homemade harnesses as Aleric took care to properly adjust them both. Flora and Oscar were hooked up side by side at the front of the sled, and this time they were going to head in the direction the sailors had gone to find help.
“Remember what I told you.” Oscar couldn’t hide his excitement at being back in a harness again.
He practically vibrated with energy.
“Let me see...” Flora pretended to be deep in thought. “Rule number one: Get enough sleep. Rule two: Pull with your shoulders and not your neck. Rule three: Remember that dogs have way too many rules.”
Sophia laughed from where she was waiting on top of the load.
“Rule number sixty-six.” Oscar grinned. “You can never have too many rules.”
“Everyone ready?” the captain called. The two men and Aleric placed their hands on the sled to help push the heavy load. “Move out!”
Flora and Oscar put their shoulders into their harnesses and pulled. The sled resisted for a moment and then lurched forward as it broke away from where the runners had become frozen to the ice.
In all the excitement, Flora was surprised to feel a tightness in her heart. The camp was where she had found the courage to be more than just a farm pig, to take a little control of her life. She was tempted to turn for one last look, except she knew she’d hear the rule about not turning around again.
A little later, they passed by a spot Flora was certain she had seen before. Then she remembered. It was the place where Oscar had dug the hole for her to hide in. She imagined filling up that dark place with fresh white powder, and she promised herself she’d never lose hope like that again.
On the second day out, they met the rescue party coming toward them. People laughed and pointed when they saw who was pulling the sled, and then a huge cheer filled the air. Hugs were given, and Flora got her share. Even Amos tickled her ears. But it was clear from their pinched faces that the food in the boxes would be a welcome surprise.
&n
bsp; Oscar and Flora were unhooked from their lines. Sniffing noses and wagging tails immediately surrounded Oscar. Flora felt awkward and out of place among the other dogs. But as soon as he could, Oscar told them the story of their adventure, giving full credit to Flora and her pulling skills. Each dog came up to thank her personally, which meant Flora got plenty of practice touching noses, apparently a requirement in the dog world.
Even Sophia felt safe enough to jump down and wander through the furry crowd, though she wanted nothing to do with the sniffing and gave any dog that tried it a sharp smack on the snout.
After a warm meal had been cooked up, eaten, and cleared away, coils of rope were brought out and more lines were tied to the sled. Flora was proud to be placed back in her harness even though there was far too much laughter over it from the other men. She was gratified that none of the dogs seemed to think it was funny. They waited patiently to be hooked up.
“Hike!” shouted the captain from his place on the sled.
Flora threw herself forward at the signal, and the men standing nearby cheered. Two of them ran alongside for a few steps, waving their hats. “Go, pig! Pull, pig!”
Pulling with a full team was not only a wonderful feeling, it was a lot easier than what she was used to. In just three days they reached the sea and the camp where they hoped to be saved. From here, a group of the strongest's ailors had set sail in the lifeboat to intercept a ship or find the nearest settlement on the southern tip of South America.
If they were successful, rescuers could arrive any day now.
Chapter 38
The day the large ship appeared, the men hugged one another and danced while the dogs barked. As it sailed closer, Flora could see it was painted as white as snow. She watched with the others until she could make out its name written in tall red letters, the Undefeated. It dropped anchor, and a lifeboat was lowered into the water.
As soon as the men in the boat stepped onto the ice, there was another round of hugging among comrades.