The finish line was in sight. One team had over taken me. I could see groups of people cheering. In the crowd, I could make out a tall girl with golden-caramel hair and a boy with a floppy black fringe. Lily and Ryder.
"Mush! Mush!" I urged the dogs on and they began to race to the finish line. Ace must have seen Lily and Ryder too because he ran fastest of all. We began over taking the other sledge. The man shouted at his dogs to go faster.
"Mush! Mush!" I yelled. The dog ran. The finish line was nearing. We'd over taken the other team. Ace and Honey came to a stop. I'd won.

That lantern was glowing red when the crowds of people came to congratulate me. Before I even spook to him, Ryder had his arms around me. Lily was next. I couldn't stop smiling.
"How do you think Ace did?" I laughed
"I think Ace has to be the most incredible lead dog to walk the earth," Lily smiled and bent down beside Ace "They said Dad's dogs were the best. I'm sure this lot would make a good successors..." Lily leaned forward to pet Ace on the head. She stroked his soft fur.
"You were great," Ryder smiled "I thought we'd lost you back there," he added. I wrapped my arms around him again.
"I think I like wolves, now, too," Lily told us. "One of them did save my sister," She smiled, softly
"Lani O'Brien we'd just like to ask you some questions..." A reporter told us
"Oh, okay," I nodded
"Why did you decide to take up on Dog Sledding in the first place?"
"Well, it was my Dad really..." I smiled "See, he was called Thomas O'Brien and he loved dogs and the Iditarod..."
"You mean to say that your father was the famous multi-winning dog sledder, Thomas O'Brien?" The reporter asked, surprised
"Yeah, that was my Dad," I smiled
"Well, with talent like your's we sure are glad that history didn't repeat itself out there!" He told me "Your lead dog seems pretty brave,"
"He is something," Ryder laughed
"Ace is sorta a superhero!" Lily added "He's got a lot to live up too, what with our Dad's dog, Alpha,"
"Well, it seems that Lani O'Brien and her lead dog, Ace, are following in her father's footsteps, and his dogs' paw prints, pretty well..."

I still don't think much has changed but I would be lying if I said it was the same. With all that prize money, Ryder and I bought one of the pretty houses in town. With us lived Ace, Jack, King, Kiara, Rosie, Little-Paw and Howler. Lily and Honey lived in the house next door. With the remaining money, I bought a plaque outside of Nome that read,
"Thomas O'Brien, the Iditarod's great racer. Here lies tribute to him and his dogs, Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Delta, Echo, Foxtrot and Golf."
I told Lily about my plans to race in the Yukon Quest race, to which she strongly apposed. Maybe, I'll go anyway. I'm sure she'll forgive me.
And as for Ryder and I, well, he finally proposed. At the age of twenty-one, I got married. Ace was our best man. Or best wolf. Lily made a pretty good bride's maid too.

"What do you think about children?" I asked, sitting at my chair next to the window, reading 'White Fang'.
"More puppies?" Ryder sat beside me "I don't see why not,"
"No, I mean human children," I laughed
"Oh, yeah, human children would be fine, too," He nodded as he let Ace sit beside him "But, what about names for human children?"
"Well, we'd need a girl and boy name," I smiled
"I like Nancy for a girl," Ryder pulled a blanket onto us
"Uh, I like Adam for a boy," I added
"Nancy Lani Eldon or Adam Thomas Eldon," Ryder repeated
"Yeah, I like that..." And we fell asleep with Ace, wrapped in blankets.
Everything is perfect up here in Grayling, Alaska.
           The End~