showing him what we're made of," he finished with a chuckle. Steele's words had convinced Nikki, Kaltag and Star that chasing Balto around was for the better, and that pushed away any doubts about their actions. However, chasing Balto around was not the only thing that Steele had come to enjoy. There was also a certain dog that he had developed quite a fancy for. Her name was Jenna, and Kaltag could see why Steele was so taken with her. She had grown into a beautiful husky, and Steele had his sights set on making her his mate. It had started small, when the dogs had gathered in the old mill for some social time. Steele had tried to sidle up to her and give her a nuzzle. However, she wasn't as enthusiastic about his advances, nor did she enjoy having him in her personal space. She tried to protest, but he ignored her. Eventually, she lost her patience and pushed him away, knocking him onto his side. Despite being smaller than him, she could still pack a punch. This continued on for weeks, and while Steele remained oblivious, Kaltag easily saw that she was not impressed.

"Um, boss," Kaltag started, "I'd hate to be a wet blanket here, but maybe Jenna really doesn't like you all that much."

Steele only let out a sharp laugh when he heard this, "Oh Kaltag, don't be ridiculous. Jenna is lucky to have attracted a champion like me. She's just playing hard to get. Besides, I've always liked girls that are feisty," he finished, licking his lips a few times.

Eventually, Steele did manage to get one date out of her, but it was short-lived, and his attempts to go further were only met by contempt on her side. She was particularly critical of how Steele and his trio treated Balto, "I don't get it boss, why doesn't she like the fact that we're keeping Balto away from the town?" Kaltag asked.

"Oh, I don't bother to know what goes on in a girl's head," Steele replied, "She just doesn't realize the times that wolfdog has gotten too close for comfort," One of those times he was referring to had been shortly before their date.

While he was asking her out, Balto had crept up behind them, hiding under a porch. By the time Steele had spotted him, he was close enough that he could have lunged out to snap Kaltag's tail off. Kaltag's blood turned to ice when he saw just how close that ragged half-wolf was, but Balto darted away after being spotted. Jenna had been caught up in the chase, with Balto crashing right into her. Fortunately, Balto didn't hurt her much, and Steele forced him to flee from the town. The day had been saved once again, but Jenna seemed to be missing the point. Instead of flinging herself towards the brave dog that had saved her, she instead struck Steele across the face with her paw, and scolded him about picking on Balto. "I don't know what she sees in that half-breed, but I promise you I'll put a stop to it," Steele said a few days later, "Speaking of half-breeds…" he trailed off as he spotted Balto in the distance, trotting into an alley. A grin grew across his face as he signaled the three to follow him into the alleys. The narrow passages made for good cover, and soon, Steele had found something that attracted his interest. It was a tall stack of barrels, on their sides and arranged into a rough pyramid shape. Steele climbed up near the top while the trio stayed below.

"So what's the plan dere boss?" Nikki asked.

"You'll see soon enough. Just keep a look out for Balto," he replied as he used the top barrels for cover. Kaltag, Nikki and Star obeyed, and hid behind the barrel stack as well, with Steele right above them. Soon enough, they saw Balto appear in the alley, sniffing the ground while looking from side to side.

"He's here," Kaltag whispered, but Steele didn't react. Balto was coming closer, and that only made Kaltag tenser. After their last run-in, he didn't want Balto to surprise him again, "Steele, what are you waiting for?" Kaltag snapped.

"Just a little closer…" he said, and they waited until Balto was only a few steps away from them. At any moment, he would come around and find their hiding place… "Now!" Steele barked out, and in an instant, all four jumped out, with Steele landing right on top of Balto, "Look what we have here guys; the wolfdog is sneaking around again," he sneered, "Are you looking for something Balto?"

"Just a little food, nothing more," Balto replied nervously, "Why can't you guys leave me be?"

"We can't because we don't like having wolves in our town," Steele replied, "I'm in charge here; what I say goes, and I say that you're not welcome." At this, Balto only gave him a look of utter contempt before launching a large wad of spit right at his eye. Steele shook it off, and this insult only enraged him further, "Oh, you're going to wish you hadn't done that you mutt," he growled, before grabbing Balto and slamming him into the side of a nearby building. However, throwing him around meant that he was no longer in Steele's grip, and Balto took this chance to make a run for it. Steele and his trio had cut off most exits, and but there was still the nearby barrel stack. Balto started to climb up, but Steele was quicker, launching himself at Balto. The two collided and Steele's momentum slammed Balto into the top-most barrel, knocking it off its perch. This set off a chain reaction that destabilized the entire stack, sending it toppling over and taking Balto with it. One of the barrels crashed through the door to one of the shops, and Kaltag could hear the sound of things being broken inside, followed by the cursing of the resident human. "C'mon, let's get out of here," Steele said. While Kaltag had been looking forward to knocking Balto around a little more, he didn't want to be at the scene of the crime and dashed away. As he looked back, he saw that the human was already out, wielding a bat and swinging it wildly at Balto.

"Do you have any idea how much you've broken you mutt?" the human shouted, "You're lucky I don't have my gun here 'cause I'd blast you right to…" his shouts grew more distant as they retreated, but Kaltag grinned when he saw just how much trouble he had gotten Balto in.

"Maybe this time that mutt will get the message - stay out!" he thought, but soon he would find out that their actions against Balto did not go entirely unseen.

"So, this is what qualifies as fun in this town now? That's just sick," a voice called out. They turned and saw that it was Jenna, fuming at them. However, Steele ignored her anger, deciding to simply play it cool with her.

"Oh, but we didn't do anything," he fibbed, "It was Balto that knocked over those barrels and caused the damage."

"Uh-huh… nice try, I know what I saw," Jenna replied, "Balto was only trying to get away from you creeps and you jumped at him. You were the one who caused the damage, but you're not dog enough to own up to it."

"So there may have been some collateral, but we still managed to show that wolf what happens when he sets foot in my town; maybe this time he'll stay out," Steele said, "But enough about him. I was thinking Jenna, I had such a fun time with you when we went out last time; would you be interested for a second round?"

"Not on your life," Jenna replied, "If you think I'm going out with a rude oaf like you, then you're more twisted than I thought. Besides, it was very obvious what you really wanted from me that night."

"Okay, so maybe I came on a little too quickly last time, but if you want I can-"

"The answer is still no Steele," she growled, "Why don't you just leave me alone? Balto too. He doesn't deserve the treatment you're giving him."

"Why do you even care about him?" Kaltag asked, "He's a half-wolf."

"He is not just a half wolf. He's a kind soul who simply wants to be left to live his life. If you took the time to know him, you'd see that," she replied.

"Heh, it almost sounds like yous have a thing for him," Nikki cut in.

"Yeah, you're not one of those dirty lobo-lovers are you?" Kaltag asked, causing the four of them to burst out laughing. Jenna turned her face down, feeling a sickly mixture of anger and embarrassment.

"You'd better watch your mouth Kal, 'cause one day you might say something that you'll regret. When that happens, you'd better be prepared to take it back or else," she said before turning on her heels and storming off.

"Yeah right. I've said a lot of things, but with Steele on my side, I'll never get into trouble," he thought, unaware that in only a year and a half, he would say something that he would regret, but he wouldn't have Steele to back him up. He'd have to find a way to make things right himself, or he'd risk losing a valuable ally.

---------------------------

Present Day

By now, Balto had been traveling for hours in the still woods. He listened intently for any sign of life, but all he could hear was the sound of birds chirping, and the occasional tree that creaked, "There's no one around here, but why do I still feel like I'm being followed?" he thought, "I'm probably just being paranoid. I guess years of constantly having to look over my shoulder have really affected me." He continued trudging through the snow, even though he had no idea how to find what he wanted. For all he knew, the wolf packs in the area were in the opposite direction. Even if he was going in the right direction, there was always the chance that they wouldn't