wanted to win. They had gone through days of rough terrain and cold weather, but there was still one more obstacle to face.

Coming up ahead of them was a narrow path with two sheer cliffs on either side. The path acted as a bottleneck, and was only wide enough to allow one sled to travel safely. This would be the deciding factor of the race; whichever team entered first would have the advantage necessary to win. Steele kept trying to pull ahead, but the sprint to catch up with the other team had drained the other dogs, and they couldn't keep up with him. The other team was feeling the same exhaustion, causing the team's stride to lag, and their tongues to roll out of their mouths. The cliff sides started to angle closer and closer to the teams, but they refused to budge. The narrowing path forced the teams closer together, and soon they were side by side, with the dogs on the other team rubbing into Kaltag's shoulder. The ever decreasing space was starting to make Kaltag and the team anxious; none of them wanted to run smack into the cliff, but Steele wouldn't let up. He was playing a dangerous game of chicken with the other team; a game he intended to win. The other dogs however, were more concerned with their own safety, "Steele, wes aren't going to make it through. Wes have to back off!" Nikki cried.

"NO! We're so close and we're not going to lose it!" Steele barked back.

"Steele, we can't risk it," Kaltag continued, "If we keep this up, our team is going to be the most hurt, the most smashed up, the most broken-"

"We're going to get squashed!" Star cut in, but since he was the dog directly behind Steele, his protest was met by a kick in the jaw from Steele's leg. The rocks crept closer and closer to the teams, and any second, Kaltag expected to feel the brutal punch from running right into them. Fortunately for him, the musher of the other team didn't want to risk it, so at the last second, he slammed on his brakes to slow his team down.

The other team fell back, giving Steele's team enough clearance to get through and take the lead, "Ha! See, I told you we didn't need to slow down," Steele cried out, "Shows how much you know."

"And yet I knew enough to take the shortcut that got us here," Kaltag thought bitterly as they continued running the last few miles. The other team had come through the narrow pass as well, but they didn't have enough power left to catch up. They remained behind, without even bothering to take back first place. The marker flares exploded above them as they continued their approach, and as they raced up Front Street towards the finish line, Kaltag was exhilarated. He had not only run through the most treacherous race in Alaska, he had been the one who found the shortcut that allowed them to take the lead and win. As they passed the finish line, the crowd roared for them, as their own home team had returned victorious. A few minutes later, the runner-up team raced in as well, simply happy that they had finished the race in one piece.

"Hey, you ran a really good race back there," the lead husky from the other team said to Kaltag, "How'd you guys catch up to us?"

"Well, it wasn't much," Kaltag started, "I just-"

"I found us a shortcut," Steele cut in, "While you took the long way around, I found a riverbed that saved us some time."

Kaltag felt like he had just been kicked in the jaw; the shortcut had been his idea, not Steele's. The husky didn't even want the idea to be his, "Well, I guess you're lucky to have such a smart lead dog," the other lead continued.

"Wait… but he-" Kaltag stammered

"Yes, and I was the one who didn't give up in that narrow pass," Steele cut in, "And to think that the others wanted me to stop."

The other lead let out a chuckle, "Yeah, you guys sure did give us a run to remember."

"But – hold on-"

"Kaltag, why don't you go off with the others?" Steele suggested, "Your stammering is starting to annoy me." Kaltag said nothing more and simply stormed off to find Nikki and Star, while, his ire towards Steele grew and grew. Steele had acted as though his team never mattered; they were just along for the ride.

"If you win, it won't be your victory, it will be his alone."

It was now that he fully realized what Cain had meant; it didn't matter how much they contributed, Steele would always think of it as his victory, not theirs. He would always be in the background, never allowed to shine on his own. This caused Kaltag to start to doubt his choice to stick with Steele. He had given his lead so much praise in return for fitting in, but in all this time, he had gotten barely any in return. It wouldn't matter if they did something that saved the entire town; as long as Steele was in charge, he would always use whatever it took to keep the glory for himself.

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Chapter 8: New Doubt

Present Day

Balto told his story to the wolves, and while they may not have had as much interest in sledding as the dogs, they were still captivated by the exciting journey Balto had to take to find the team and return it home. Balto told them how he had to face down an angry bear, a stubborn Steele, false pathways, dangerous terrain and a collapsing ice cave to bring aid to those in need. While some scoffed at the idea of helping humans, many applauded Balto's effort. He had done for the human children what any of them would do to save their own, "I was able to return the medicine because I had finally accepted my wolf side," Balto told, almost at the end of his story, "If that white wolf hadn't come to me, I'd still be at the bottom of that cliff, resigned to my own misery. I'd have let Jenna, Rosy and all the other children down if I had ignored that wolf."

"Who was it? Did they tell you their name?" a young black wolf asked.

"No, they just howled with me and then disappeared without a trace," Balto replied, "Even though I didn't know who it was, I couldn't help but feel like it was familiar… it felt like I knew it from somewhere," Balto said. He took a moment to scan the wolves around him and noted that none of them matched the pure white wolf he had seen.

"It came to you out of nowhere, and in your time of need... it sounds like something out of the spirit guide stories from when I was a pup," Anya said.

"Yes Balto, for all you know, there's someone looking out for you," Maska continued.

"I don't know about that," Balto replied, "I've never been one to believe in ghost stories."

"Spirit or not, you got home because of that wolf," Maska said, "Plus, your story can serve as a good lesson for our young ones."

"That is right," an older female agreed, turning towards the group of small cubs that had gathered around her, "Each of you is like Balto in that what you can do is not decided by who your parents were; it is decided by what you want to do, and what your own dreams are."

"Does that mean I can be a bird if I want to fly?" a brown pup asked, causing the group to laugh a little.

"Not exactly kid. It means that your worth is decided by your actions, not your breeding," Balto put in, "Though I must admit, flying around does sound fun."

"Thank you for that wonderful story Balto," Maska said, "You have the bravery of a warrior, but a kind heart as well."

"Thank you Maska," Balto replied.

"Well, listening to a story sure works up a bit of an appetite," Maska continued, "My friends, it is time for us to hunt! We will commemorate this one to our new friend Balto!" he cried out and the wolves barked in agreement, "So Balto, would you care to join us?"

"I'd love to but… I'm not really a hunter," Balto replied sheepishly.

"Not a hunter?" Maska asked, confused, "Surely your mother must have given you lessons as a pup."

"No, she couldn't," Balto replied, "I told you, she disappeared when I was very small, so I didn't get any lessons on hunting from her."

"If you didn't learn how to hunt, then how did you survive?" Anya asked.

"During the summer I could catch fish from a nearby river as they swam by," Balto replied, "However, when it froze over in winter, I had to scrounge for scraps from the town. I tried a few times to chase things down, but my inexperience meant that whatever I was chasing would usually get away."

"You weren't exaggerating when you said your life had been hard," Maska mused, "Hunting is something that we wolves take for granted, so it's hard to imagine how anyone could survive without it."

"There were a few days when I couldn't find enough and went hungry, but I still managed to get by," Balto said.

"Still, if he is going to be a part of our clan, he will need to be able to pull his own weight," a grey-furred wolf put in, "He will have to learn how to hunt like us."

"You're right," Maska said, "Is there anyone who would be willing to help Balto out here? I know it may sound strange to ask someone to teach a full grown half-wolf, but Balto is not a ordinary case."

"I will help him," Anya said, "I can take him out right now to show him the basics."

"Alright; you won't mind if the rest of us go out without you do you?" Maska asked.

"Just as long as you save me some for when you get back," Anya replied, causing Maska to chuckle. The alpha then