ONCE AGAIN, I WANT TO THANK ALL MY READERS OUT THERE!  THANKS FOR GETTING ME THIS FAR!!!!!!!!!!!  LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!  LOOK FOR "TYCO'S STORY" SERIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  THAT'S THE OTHER ONE THAT I'M WRITING!  PART ONE OF THAT SERIES IS OUT NOW!!!!!!!!!!!

Shasta lunged for Balto's thoat.  Immediatly, Balto sprang back and bared his fangs.  Many years ago, he would have been afraid, but not now.  He was part wolf and it was time to embrace that!  With a snarl, Balto leapt at Shasta and the two wolves collided in midair.  Together, they lashed out in a furious whirlwind of teeth and claws.  Neither would stay away for more than a few seconds before diving into battle once again.

"Your better than i thought wolfdog!"  Shasta growled.

"I will not be taken advantage of because of my heritage any longer!"  Balto growled back.  "I have wolf running through my veins.  My mother was Aniu, the white wolf!  She fights with me!"  With that, the two faced off again.  With a loud snarl however, Balto whipped around to see a red shape moving toward them.  

"Vitwany!" Shasta snarled as the red she-wolf stood beside Balto.  "Oreo!" as her mate came into view.  "Traitors!  This wolf is part dog!"

"What?" Oreo gasped, but Vitwany growled.

"I knew that!"  She growled.

"What?" Shasta, Balto and Oreo said together.  

"I noticed right off that he looked and smelled different.  And he was clumsy.  A true pure-bred wolf moves with grace, even in battle.  But i also noticed the way he looked when he said he was a loner."  She turned to Balto.

"I didn't believe you for a second."  She said, her eyes twinkling.

"Traitor!"  Shasta hissed.  "You should have killed him!  When Mage finds out!"

"Mage will not find out Shasta!" Oreo said.  "Please!  This creature has wolf inside him. And even more, he turned to face you.  A dog would not have done that!"  

"Except to slaughter my pups!"  Shasta screamed.

"Shasta, how many times have i told you!"  Vitwany gasped.  "Those dogs were trained to kill.  Not all dogs are like that!  I share the dislike of dogs, but Balto is part wolf.  I am willing to see past him if he shows the wolf is stronger inside of him."

"Vitwany.  Oreo!" Balto gasped.  

Then the four of them froze.  In the distance, they heard a dogs bark.

"Dog!" Shasta growled.  

"Shasta, back off."  Vitwany stepped forward.  "We do not know if they are a threat."

"I don't believe you give the orders around here Vitwany."  Yet another voice joined the four of theirs.  Balto turned and his heart dropped.  Mage stood, staring down at the scene. 

"Mage, I......."  Oreo began stepping forward, but stopped at a growl from Mage.

"I want not to hear of excuses Oreo!"  he growled.  "You and your mate have disrupted my pack for the last time!  It is time to end this!  I never should have let you mate with my sister!"

"I don't understand."  Balto said, looking from Vitwany, to Mage, to Oreo and back to Vitwany.

"Me and Oreo had been planning on leaving the pack and that sort of caused an uproar."  Vitwany explained, staring at Mage. 

"But the problem is, wolves don't leave their packs unless their alpha gives them permission to go."  Mage said.  " And i did not give them permission.  My sister will not run around in the wild!"

"I am not a child!"  Vitwany growled.

"Stop!"  Balto said.  "This entire mess is because of me!  I........"  Balto heard the dogs barking again.  "And I should just leave now!  I was never fully part of this pack anyway!  I will go now!"  Balto turned and headed toward the dogs.

"No!"  Vitwany gasped, running up to him.  Balto didn't turn and kept walking.  He wanted nothing more to do with these wolves.  He wanted to go home.

Vitwany yelped in pain. 

Whipping around, Balto saw Mage on top of her, teeth at her throat. 

"I will not allow you to run around like a wild animal Vitwany!"  Mage growled.  "If hurting you is the only way to keep you safe, so be it!"  

"No!"  Balto ran to help Vitwany, but Shasta blocked him.

"Now you die wolfdog!"  She growled, but Oreo stepped in.

"Bite me!"  He taunted and Shasta sprang toward him, leaving Balto free to face Mage.

"Mage, enough!"  Balto said.  "Please don't do this!  She's your sister!  Your family!"

"I'm trying to protect my family!"  Mage snarled.  "What would a lowly wolfdog like you know of family?"

"Because my family was taken from me!"  Balto snarled back.  "One dog was jealous of my good fortunes with my mate and I and our children, so he drove me out of my home!  That's why i'm running!  But now i reliaze that is not the way to solve my problems!  I will go back and face the dogs and face the large black dog that is attacking my friends!"

A gasp suddenly was heard from behind.  Shasta and Oreo had stopped fighting and were staring at Balto.

"Rector?"  Shasta gasped.  "The wolf killer?"  Oreo wimpered.

"Rector?"  Balto asked.  "Who is he?"

"He is a mindless killer!"  Vitwany said, finally speaking, though still in her brothers jaws.  "He kills wolves for pleasure.  He is one of the main reasons why so many of us hate dogs."

"We have been searching for him for many years."  Mage said.  "Balto, where do you live?" 

"Nome."  Balto answered.

"Then..."  Mage started but was cut off.

"FATHER!"  A large growl broke through the clearing as, to Balto's imense surprise and delight, Kodi and Star burst though, claws ready for a fight.

"Back off!"  Star growled, looking at the wolves.

"Star,"  Balto began.

"I'm not afraid of you!"  Star shouted.

"Star,"  Balto said.

"I will fight to the end for my friends!"  Star screamed.

"STAR!"  Balto shouted.  "These wolves are my friends."

"What?" Kodi gasped, staring at Mage and Vitwany.  Mage let go of his sister, who got up and went to Oreo.

"I am Mage, leader of a wolf pack."  Mage said.  "Balto has been living with us."

"But i thought,"  Star started, but Shasta screamed.

"Dogs!  Dogs!"  And she ran at Kodi.  In an instant, Balto was on her, pinning her down. 

"You will not harm my son!"  Balto growled.

"But the dogs!"  Shasta screamed.  "Mage, help me!"

"No Shasta."  Mage said.  "I now reliaze my mistakes.  It is time for wolves to understand that dogs are not killers, but just part of us.  We must move on."

"My pups!"  Shasta growled.  "What about my......"

"Shasta!"  Oreo snarled.  "Move on!  We all mourn for your loss, but what would your pups say if they saw you like this?  Killing other creatures, not for food but for revenge!"  Shasta froze, staring at Balto as if seeing him for the first time.

"Shasta, please."  Kodi walked forward.  "I have pups of my own.  I would never harm another creatures pups, even a wolf's.  I am not a killer."

"Move on.  Mica, Kar, Lupin, forgive me!"  Shasta said.  And to everyone's horror, she went limp.

"Shasta?  SHASTA!"  Balto called, but the white wolf could no longer hear him.

"Is she.....dead?"  Star gasped.

"I'm guessing it was hard.  Her heart was broken when her pups died.  Now she is being forced to forgive the race that killed her family.  Her mind and her heart could not take it."  Vitwany said.  Oreo lifted his head and let out a howl.  Mage and Vitwany joined in.

"Father,"  Kodi whispered.  Balto nodded and raised his head, joining the howl, mourning as Shasta's spirit went up into the heavens to join her family.

"Now Balto,"  Mage said.  "Rector?"

"Yes.  He is in Nome."  Balto said, walking over and sitting by Kodi and Star.

"Then we will go to Nome!"  Mage said.

"What of the pack?"  Oreo asked, looking in the direction where many wolves could be heard running their way.

"I will speak with them!  Balto, you have helped us see the error of our ways.  We will help you get home."  Mage said.  Vitwany licked her brother's ear.  "Stay here."  the three wolves ran off toward the pack who was coming closer now to explain what was going on.

"Father,"  Kodi stepped forward, but before he could say more, Balto hugged his son. 

"It was Steele."  Star said.  "He forced Kodi to choose between you or Dusty."

"Steele