chuckle. The alpha then led his pack away to track down some prey while Balto and Anya went in another direction, "Alright Mr. Hero, from your story, I can already tell that you know how to use your nose to follow a trail."

"Yes, and my ears also work just as well," Balto replied.

"I'm curious Balto; during your story you mentioned a dog named Jenna quite a bit," she started, "Are you two friends?"

"We're more than just friends," he replied, "We love each other, and while I'd love nothing more than to be with her, there are those who'd rather keep us apart."

"Is that why you're out here?" she asked.

"Yes; I thought that I might finally have a chance to be accepted into the town, but they don't seem to want anything to do with me," Balto replied, "I'm still a half-wolf in their eyes, and that provokes fear in most people. While Jenna and I might be able to see each other sometimes, she'd always have to be called away by her human owners."

"But you'd still see each other-"

"Our time would always have to be cut short," Balto continued, "Is that any way to be with someone?"

"Maybe… personally I'd think that it would make the time together more special," she replied, "Besides, you do want to see her again soon right?"

"Yes, I do," he replied, and as he thought about Jenna, he started to doubt his decision to come out here, "It's great here, but it isn't the same without Jenna," he thought. Just like in his dream, he had started to follow the call from the wolves, only to have the cal from Jenna grow stronger.

"Well, I hope that things do work out with you; you do sound quite taken by her. If it doesn't... you'll still have a place here," she finished, before tapping his muzzle with hers. Balto was a little surprised at her gesture, but decided to not dwell on it. After all, she may just be being nice; a tap on the muzzle didn't mean that she had… that kind of interest in him. However, the pull back towards Jenna still remained, "No, I just got here. Besides, I might have a better chance with these wolves. They seem more accepting of me despite being part dog. I can have a fresh start and leave all those years of being an outcast behind," he thought.

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While Balto and Anya were starting their lesson, Maska and the rest of his pack were preparing for a real hunt. As they did, the beta male, Cheyen came over, "Maska, can I speak with you for a moment?" he asked.

"Of course. You know I always value your input," Maska replied, and the two broke off from the main group to have some privacy.

"Maska, don't you think it's a little premature to simply let that half-dog into our pack?" Cheyen asked.

"That 'half-dog' does have a name my friend; it's Balto. While it may seem quick to you, I think that we should give him a chance," Maska replied.

"But why him?" Cheyen asked.

"I am treating him no differently than I would any other stray wolf," Maska replied, "You heard from his story how some of the dogs still refused to give him a chance after his great deed. I'm hoping to do one better for him; someone like him needs a place to belong and to feel safe."

"Alright, but-" Cheyen's next statement was cut off when a smaller wolf came darting towards them, calling out Maska's name.

"Maska! Come quick!" the young wolf cried out.

"What is it?" the alpha wolf asked.

"One of our scouts spotted intruders in our territory," the young wolf replied, "Dogs; two of them."

"Dogs? Are there humans with them?" Maska asked.

"No, just them," the young wolf replied, "They appeared to be following the trail left by Balto and his escorts."

"Following his trail… do you think they have any connection to him?" Cheyen asked.

"I don't know, but I'll deal with them. Cheyen, you lead the pack without me. You three!" he cried out to three other wolves, "You're with me!" The three wolves joined him and followed their leader as he dashed off to intercept the new arrivals.

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Anya had decided to start Balto off with the most basic of basic prey, "Lemmings? Don't you think I could start out on something a little bigger?" Balto asked, "I'm not exactly a small cub you know."

"You're going to start with lemmings because that is how all wolves start out," Anya replied curtly, "Once you can show that you can take them down, then we can move on to bigger things." Balto grumbled a little; he thought that something that small would be far too easy, "Now, I have come to this clearing because I know that there are some lemmings hiding under the snow. The question is, can you find them?"

Balto put his nose to the ground and started sniffing. At first, all he found was the crisp scent of the snow, but in one spot, he picked up something that was hiding underneath. He eagerly dug at it, but before he could reach it, the lemming popped out of the snow and dashed away from him. Balto tried to chase after it, but it darted this way and that, changing direction faster than he could. Finally, it disappeared down another hole in the snow and out of sight, "See, it isn't as easy as you think," Anya said, "Those little buggers may be small, but they're quick on their feet."

"You're right," Balto replied, "So, what did I do wrong?"

"You took too long to strike," Anya replied, "It knew you were digging it out, and that gave it time to escape."

"So I should hit it hard and fast?" Balto asked, and Anya nodded.

"Try again, it hasn't gone far," she said. Balto put his nose back to the ground and soon picked up the lemming's scent a short distance away. Knowing that digging wouldn't help, he instead reared up and slammed his muzzle into the snow, biting down quickly. His move caused him to take in a large mouthful of snow, but his teeth managed to catch something. He pulled back up and found that he had caught the lemming by its tail. The rodent squeaked and thrashed as it dangled from his jaws. Thinking quickly, he put it down and held it with one paw while delivering a fatal bite to finish it off, "Well, your method is a little unorthodox, but it got the job done," Anya praised, "Most wolves use their paw to catch it instead of their teeth."

"Except I'm not exactly like most wolves," Balto replied, causing her to giggle.

"No I guess you aren't," Anya said, "Now, I think it is time to teach you the next important part of hunting."

"And what's that?" Balto asked.

"How to defend your prize," she replied before jumping at him, knocking him off his feet. She tried to hold him down while reaching for the lemming with her jaw, but he grabbed her shoulder in his jaw and rolled away from it. She pushed away from him and got to her feet, with him keeping an eye on her movements. She moved to the left and to the right and he followed her movements, blocking her path. Finally, he let out a low growl, and that was what she wanted to hear. She sat down and he did the same, "Well, you certainly aren't a pushover, that's for sure," she said.

"Oh, I'm a lot tougher than some would think," he replied.

"Well then, are you quick on your feet too?" she asked, "Come get me!" she cried out, before dashing away from him.

"Am I quick on my feet? Is the sky blue?" he thought as he gave chase. Anya laughed her head off as she darted left and right, trying to evade Balto. He laughed too and soon he had caught up with her. However, Anya wasn't out of tricks yet, as she stuck out one of her legs, causing Balto to trip. She was quick to jump on him and the two rolled around the field before she pinned him down. By now Balto had been tired out by the chase, so he couldn't put up much resistance.

"Hehe, got you," she said, leaning closer towards him.

"Ya, you got me," he replied, and as he looked up at her, he couldn't help but notice how much she resembled Jenna. She had the same red back and side fur, along with her paler underside. While Anya had the narrower muzzle and larger build of a wolf, the resemblance still remained.

"Heh, you have really nice eyes," she said, smiling.

"Thanks, I get that a lot from-" he would have finished his sentence with the word 'Jenna', but thinking of her and how they used to cuddle together stopped him dead in his tracks. When he realized just how close Anya was getting, he started to become uncomfortable. He squirmed his way out from under her and stood up quickly.

Anya noticed his change in demeanor, "What is it? What's wrong?" she asked.

"I… I just… I need a few minutes, excuse me," he said, and trotted off, leaving Anya very confused. Having Anya that close to him made him feel like he was turning his back on Jenna, something he would never willingly do. He'd never get involved with another female; he'd never be able to forgive himself for it. In fact, this whole endeavor was starting to feel like he was turning his back on Jenna. He hadn't told her where he was going, and she would have wanted to know where he was, "Oh, she's probably tearing the town down to it's foundations trying to find me," he thought, "That is, if she's looking for me in the first place… What am I thinking, of course she'd come looking for me, she's done it before," he thought,