Steele had actually tried to send his own team with vital cargo the wrong way, “All Steele cared about was getting rid of Balto,” Kaltag continued, “His prejudice drove him to completely ignore his team and the mission in order to get rid of one hybrid who, really isn’t all that bad when you get to know him.”

“He…. he lied,” Sonya growled, “He lied to us! He told us he got separated from the team. He never mentioned meeting Balto at all. I didn’t even think they knew each other. And to think he tried to get rid of the team as well! He may as well have tried to kill those kids himself!”

“I couldn’t have said it better,” Kaltag replied, “While we got even more lost, Steele made it back to Nome alone and spun this story about how we had all died horribly. He probably figured that he might as well get a little pity attention from all of this. But, he forgot one crucial thing: we had a half-wolf leading us. Balto knew he couldn’t use his visual marks, so he sniffed his way home. Steele tried to hide when he knew his plan had gone bust, but it wasn’t long before we found him. We made him confess what he had done and that’s when we kicked him out of town,” Kaltag finished.

Sonya had heard all she needed to know. Steele had been lying from the start and even worse, he had purposely sent his own team the wrong way. He had never been in it for the children; he was only in it for the glory, like he always had been. Her face contorted in anger with her hackles raised, exposing her white canines.

“Hey, are you okay there?” Kaltag asked, noticing the change in her demeanor.

“I’m fine…… but Steele won’t be!” she howled and took off like a bullet. This time, Steele would not get away. This time, he was going to pay for what he had done.

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Chapter 5: Stolen Glory

Steele couldn’t decide whether to cry or cheer over what he had been hearing for the past few minutes. After all of these years of loyal service with his owner, he was being sold, “I’ve been thinking that Steele might be starting to lose his racing edge,” his owner continued, unaware that Steele had been eavesdropping on their entire conversation, “Usually he’s had no problem with overtaking other teams, but this year, it seemed more difficult for him. In fact, I might not have won the last race if the other team hadn’t tripped up in the last couple of miles.”

“I understand where you’re coming from,” Jonathan replied, “Steele isn’t as young as he used to be.”

“Yeah, and I think his sense of direction may be going too. You heard about the serum run right?”

“Of course. It was international news.”

“Well, during that run, Steele led the team right off the trail, accidentally taking us off a cliff.”

“Yikes,” Jonathan replied.

“Yep, if that stray half-wolf hadn’t found us and taken us home, we would’ve all perished in that storm. It’s funny, I’m not usually the type to believe in angels of mercy, but having that wolfdog find us in that blizzard and take us home…… it kinda makes you rethink how you see the world.”

“Well Gunnar, for all we know, dogs are a bit smarter than we think they are. Maybe this stray hybrid knew what was going on and wanted to help?”

“Heh, you actually believe that?” Gunnar asked.

“Well, like you, I’ve experienced amazing things. My dogs have been able to pull off amazing feats in the worst conditions. You remember when I last raced you three years ago right?”

“Oh yes. If my memory serves me correctly, that was the last time the derby finished in White Mountain before the officials extended it to Nome. Heh, you sure gave me a run for my money that time. What are you getting at?”

“I gave you a run for your money not because of what I could do as a musher, but because of what my dogs could do that I could not.”

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Three Years Earlier

Sonya couldn’t believe it - today was the day. The day that she could finally prove herself to the team, and show that she was as good as any of them. First, the team would make the run from White Mountain to Fairbanks, where the Trans-Alaskan Derby would start. Their pace was kept moderate to avoid over-exertion before the race, when they would need to give everything they had to stay ahead of the other teams. After reaching the town, they would have a couple of days to rest before the start of the race; when the real fun would begin.

The racers were lined up on the edge of the town, facing out towards the Alaskan wilderness. There, they would have to beat the elements - and the other teams - to the finish in White Mountain. Sonya could feel her heart pounding from the excitement. She was elated that she was finally getting the chance to race, but she was nervous too. This was her first big race and she wanted nothing more than to prove herself to her team. While they waited for the starting gun, she looked around at the competition. A few feet away was none other than Steele. Since their last race, he had refused to admit that a half-wolf was faster than him. Whenever anyone would ask him about it, he would say that she just got lucky - or that she cheated. He seemed to change his story every other day.

He turned and glared at her as they waited at the starting gate, “So, I guess your owner must be scraping the bottom of the barrel if he’s using a slow dog like you,” he said.

“Just you wait and see Steele. I’m a real sled dog now and I promise you that all you’ll see is my tail in this race,” she replied.

“We’ll see about that,” he finished.

“Easy there Sonya,” Amak said as he turned to face her, “You may have talent, but it’ll do you no good if you get too cocky. Besides, this is a team effort.”

“I know that,” she replied, “But I really want to beat Steele.”

“Don’t worry; as long as you stay sharp and follow my lead, I promise you that we will beat that glory hound over there,” he said and soon Jonathan took his position at the end of the sled. The race was about to start at any second, “Alright, are you ready guys?” Amak called out and the team barked out in reply.

“Racers, on your mark… get set… GO!” the official called and fired the starting pistol, sending the racers lurching forward. Early on, a few of the teams pulled ahead, trying to get an early advantage, but Amak and his team held back. They knew that exhausting themselves too early in the race wouldn’t help them in the long run. One of the teams ahead of them was Steele’s and Sonya kept her eyes locked on him, not wanting him to get too far ahead.

Sonya was exhilarated by all of this. She was competing against other dogs to see who would be the fastest, and after being at the low end of the sledding food chain for so long, she was driven to win and show everyone what she was capable of. Soon, they had passed through the treeline into the wild forests of Alaska. In here, the trail narrowed, making passing other teams difficult. Already a few of the teams were starting to tire, as they had used up most of their energy in to get ahead early. Amak was able to easily pass these teams, allowing them to move up a few positions. However, these gains were just the start. They still had a long way to go before this race would be over.

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Over the next few days, their team would move up many more positions, either by passing other teams, or when a team ahead of them pulled out of the race. The days were long and exhausting but Sonya pulled herself through each one. Even though her wolf side gave her heightened endurance for running, the rigors of the race still wore her, along with the rest of the team, out by the end of the day. Despite the adverse conditions, there was one thing that kept her going. Steele’s team was still ahead of them. After being pushed around by that egomaniac for so long, Sonya adored the idea of beating him again. This time, it would be official and if they won, then every dog would know of her victory.

They were now on the last leg of the race and in third position. After passing through their last checkpoint, they had learned that Steele’s team was now in first, but only half a mile ahead of them. They were gaining on them, but they encountered a snag. A snowstorm had blown in, obscuring visibility and causing them to accidentally leave the trail, “Amak, wait! We have to get our bearings!” Jake called out after several hours of wandering aimlessly through the woods.

“I agree,” he replied and the entire team came to a halt. They looked around, hoping to see some sign of the trail or another team, but there was none. White Mountain was west of them and they had been going in roughly that direction, but if they didn’t get their heading just right, then they risked overshooting the town entirely. Amak had started sniffing the air, hoping to detect a trace of the teams ahead in the wind. Much like how wolves tracked their packmates scents in order to navigate, sled dogs could follow the scent trail left by the teams ahead of them. Intrigued, Sonya decided to try it for herself as well. Amak sniffed for a minute or two, but even the nose of a lead dog could do so much and the teams ahead were too far away for Amak to get a fix on them.

“I can’t find them,” he said.

“You mean we’re lost?” Jake asked.

“Great, now we’re