Matanuska has a minion!

Bobby the Lil Doo

After what has felt like an eternity of running as a swing dog, Matanuska has finally done it; she has proven to her musher that she has what it takes to be a lead dog. Thus, now she stands side-by-side with her fellow lead packmate as her team waits for the signal to go.

She can feel the chill of the ice even through the insulation of her leather booties, and her breath gushes out in cloudy billows as it meets the frigid air. The arctic wind rushes against her face, combing its icy fingers through her thick fur. Her heart hammers with excitement as unspent energy flows through her veins, waiting to be released.

Matanuska has always known she possessed the courage, cunning, and intellect required to be a lead dog, and after years of obeying her musher's every command and helping her pack maneuver their way over the treacherous land of the arctic tundra, she will finally be the one to guide them. She knows this is reality, that her dream has at last come alive, but it still seems surreal. The idea of herself blazing the trail for her pack seems, even now, like a mere dream. It will be difficult, navigating them across the land, around deadly glacial crevasses, through merciless storms, and finally over the finish line, but this is her dream. This is her passion, the one thing she has always wished to do since she was a pup. The excitement it gives her tingles all the way down to her toes and to the tip of her curled plume of a tail.

Deep inside, she believes she will emerge victorious when the race is over. Her one true purpose in life is to race, and now it's time for her to show the world what she's capable of. For her musher, her pack, and most of all, for herself, she knows she will show everyone how great she can be as a lead dog. Tonight, Matanuska will shine brighter than the North Star.

Her ears perk up as the sudden crack of her musher's whip fills the air. It's time to go.

In time with her fellow lead dog, Matanuska kicks off from the snowy ground. Her strong legs take great strides across the white plain of the tundra, her whole body surging with excitement as she rushes forward, her team slowly disappearing from the onlookers' view as they take off into the pale wilderness.

The wind has never felt so good against Matanuska's face, nor the slight sting of the falling snow so tantalizing. If she wasn't so preoccupied with leading the team, Matanuska would howl her joy into the heavens. After all, who wouldn't upon reaching their ultimate dream?

The team tears across the tundra, the dogs all running at top speed with one lead in particular brimming with joy, knowing that this will forever be the greatest moment of her life.

Story Written By Death